


An Unlikely Love

by narwhaljouster



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 16 is Legal Age in HP, Age Difference, Angst, Blood and Injury, Choking, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Gryffindor Main Character, Hogwarts Prefects, I Miss Alan Rickman, I'm Straight for Snape, Long Term Gay Relationship(s), M/M, Main Character Suffers from Trauma, Main Relationship is Het, Mild Gore, Minerva is Proud of Main Character, POV First Person, Severus Snape Has a Heart, Simping for Alan Rickman, Slow Burn, Top Severus Snape, everyone is basically gay, slightly kinky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:00:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25555468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narwhaljouster/pseuds/narwhaljouster
Summary: TW: Olivia suffers from mild trauma with loss of a loved one. if you can't handle that, I don't suggest reading this. :(____Olivia Dalton is an intelligent 6th year Prefect at Hogwarts, sorted into Gryffindor. Her father, Reginald Dalton, is a wizard, while her other father, Christian Dalton, is a muggle. She is essentially a pureblood due to a witch surrogate and Reg being her biological father, yet is still considered a half-blood by marriage. In Liv's 6th year, a boy named Harry Potter is sorted into Gryffindor. He's rumored as the "Boy Who Lived", and has a scar on his forehead that is identical to Liv's on her jaw. However, she conceals it with makeup each day, wanting nobody to know of her close encounter with He Who Shall Not Be Named. The scar is a reminder of Jack; someone Liv wishes not to think of. But as she sees more and more of Harry, will she be forced to encounter her saddened past? Will she be able to reclaim the childhood she had lost? And when she takes a liking to a certain Potions professor, how will he react? Will the love be reciprocated? Can she ever heal from her loss?____im bad at writing summarieswfuheheu I promise its good hehe
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Hogwarts OC/Hogwarts OC, Implied Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Implied Remus Lupin/Sirius Black, Severus Snape/Original Character, Severus Snape/Reader?
Comments: 24
Kudos: 41





	1. Sense of Normalcy

**Author's Note:**

> OH SHOOT WHADDUPPPPP HEHE how y'all doingggggg- if youre reading this thats really freaking cool. I already have a bit of story written in advance, so I'm just gonna publish most of it for now. I hope you enjoy the first chapter!!!

Quiet train rides were few in number, simply due to noisy adolescents of all houses. The restlessness of each and every student grew as the castle drew near, promising a year full of adventures and late nights studying. I myself was quite excited, although I refused to show it obnoxiously so. There was a smile on my face indeed, one that the brown haired boy across from me mirrored. His name was Garrett Easton, your local dumbass and my personal best friend. He fluffed his hair up, yet it simply fell back into the mop of a thing it was previously. I giggled, and leaned against the burgundy seat cushioning, resting my head on the window. Greenery relentlessly ran for miles, no city in sight on the horizon. A quite repetitive and annoying rat-tat-tat echoed through my skull as the train window shuddered. It wasn’t necessarily a smooth ride, but that was alright. I peered hopelessly down at the Potions book that rested in my lap, crystal blue eyes gazing across the cover. My brain didn’t attempt to even comprehend the front of the book, forget the inside! My worries for the upcoming classes ceased as my gaze flickered to Genvieve’s honey brown face, free of any blemish. Her face was animated, deep brown eyes ablaze as she gushed about a new author she’d discovered over the summer. Her eyes were pointed on her girlfriend’s smiling face, Lilian Thornes. I was not as close to Lili as I was with Gen, yet I was very fond of her. She was a small Asian girl, yet her size contrasted with that fiery personality in her heart. Lili was quite opinionated, and very loud. It was actually quite surprising that Lilian seemed so drained at the moment, perhaps setting in with the reality; school was about to start, as was their first year of N.E.W.T.S. Oh boy. 

Francesca entered the train car as dramatically as ever, which was quite pleasant. I had longed for a sense of normalcy, finding the summer to be as drab as ever. It was another few hot months of struggling to talk to my parents properly, finding words fail me. It didn’t quite feel like my home anymore; I was simply a guest. I know fully well that neither of my dads intended on that, and that feeling of being a stranger was my own fault. As was the empty seat at the table. It could’ve been his first year today; but alas, it would not be. These thoughts were brushed away with Fran’s loud, odd, yet seductive voice. Her accent was between British and French, being a foreigner and all.

“Mes amis, I’ve arrived!!! Which one of you lot will be lucky enough to have me sat on your lap?”

I giggled, shaking my head, as Garrett and I raised our hands. “One of us, I reckon. Lili and Gen don’t seem to fancy the idea.” Fran nodded to my response, shuffling over to the two of us and plopping down in my lap. My black skirt creased slightly, legs resting further into the seat with her weight. Meanwhile, Garrett looked at the two us, feigning a pained expression. “What’s wrong with my lap, Franny?” The teen rolled her eyes, leaning against the window and giggling preemptively at her response. “I don’t wanna feel your willy, you tit!” I joined in with her quiet laughter, shaking my head. Those adjacent to us paid no mind to our foolish conversation, everyone simply catching up with their beloved friends. We were all in our own world, friends and enemies alike munching on candies from the trolley as the woman strolled through. This happy bubble was popped, however, as the train neared the castle. It stopped accordingly, as I pulled myself up and pushed Fran gently to the side. Her green eyes were filled with confusion, yet I flashed my Prefect badge and grinned. She nodded knowingly as I neared the corridor separating train cars.

I breathed deeply, entering the next car, and trying my hardest to exude authority. My eyes found themselves peering at the small, clueless first years, and a smile found its way onto my face. “Alright you lot! Listen up! You’re to follow me in an orderly manner; we’ll be going two cars down, then meeting Hagrid. He’s a big burly friendly guy, I promise you’ll love him! From there, you’ll get yourselves situated on the boats. Don’t do anything foolish, or Hagrid might have ta give ya a whacking!” My eyes sparkled with mischief, giggling at their faces, full of fear. As my eyes glazed over the seats, they landed on a brownish black head of hair. The boy adorned with this style had round glasses; I froze. For a moment, I mistook him for Jack. He always wore the largest, stupidest glasses. I loved to make fun of them, but he always said that the bigger they were, the bigger his brain was. Shaking off the bittersweet memory of him, I reminded myself of my work; I had some students to wrangle, I needed to get out of my head.  
And that I did, finding myself on one of the few carriages that lead the Prefects and Head students off to the castle. A slender hand of mine twirled with the brunette locks resting on my head, focusing on the calming clip clops of horse hooves against the earth. I made small conversation with the others, discussing duties and how we would further distribute our work for the year. It was basic stuff, yet I liked to be prepared. I found myself drifting off, only to be jolted awake when we arrived at the castle. The entrance lay before me, another year full of possibilities, possible love- oh who was I kidding? I don’t think I’d ever find myself with one of the twits at Hogwarts. I had horror stories from other’s experiences with love, things that ended in heartbreak, and had no intention to go through that experience myself. I definitely wanted love one day, someone to settle down with and find happiness with. But nobody yet caught my eye. I sought no gaze from anyone, and that was okay. Love would come to me when I needed it. I did not intend wasting this year on any dumb guys, gals, or nonbinary pals.

After getting through quite a dumb little love lecture to myself, a familiar smell overcame my senses, and an arm wrapped around my shoulders. It was Garrett, bringing along the scents of apple shampoo and candy. I happily took in the smell, a sense of normalcy finally setting into my muddled brain. Gen, Lili, and Fran took places around the two of us, conversing as we had done the year before, and the one before that, and so on. The lot of us entered the castle, yet almost immediately found ourselves dispersing in numbers. I had to go instruct the first years, Gen and Lili were to seek out good seats in the Great Hall, Fran wished to visit her first year cousin before being sorted, and Garrett was off greeting his Quidditch friends. I got to the entrance of the castle, waiting patiently for the staff’s speech to end. My blue orbs grazed amongst the crowd, feeling eyes on me; it was Professor Snape, the Potions instructor at Hogwarts. I assumed the man had his eyes on me for an important reason, and foolishly so. For his eyes continued among the group of Prefects I was standing with. He was simply gazing across the crowd as I was, why did I think anything more of it? 

I was jostled from my thoughts abruptly as an older Prefect nudged my arm, signaling our cue to guide the first years. They mostly seemed giddy with excitement, anxious to be assigned a house and meet others in said house. We lead them to the Great Hall, all eyes ablaze with amazement as oo’s and ah’s echoed, whispers filling the crowd. I giggled at their reactions, leading the students around the room; their placement didn’t matter quite yet.

I found my friends at the Gryffindor table, plopping next to Antoinette, a shy girl I had Astronomy with the previous year, and Francesca. The three of us talked over the table with Garrett, Lili, and Gen facing us. The room, however, quieted as first years began the Sorting Hat Selections. We cheered when a Gryffindor was chosen, and stayed mostly silent for the others, yet claps would always be dispersed throughout the houses. Pats on the back were given to the young ones finding their way to our table, and the noise and cheer continued until the same young boy from earlier came up to the hat. People whispered of it being the ‘Boy Who Lived’; as a baby, his mother protected him from a fearsome attack, of course by Voldemort. Or, He Who Shall Not Be Named, as they all called him. I thought of the title as foolish; if he could lose to a baby, why would we give him such power? Of course, he sent his lackeys to my home, and they did the job quite nicely with what they had. A shiver ran down my spine. I stared at the empty plate in front of me, getting lost in a world of pain that only swarmed my brain on occasion. Something told me this boy was special; as though he would be getting a bit of attention throughout his years, bad and good. Voldemort didn’t stop until the deed was done. Applying this same logic to myself and my family, a bout of worry washed over my head. I shivered and leant into Fran subconsciously. I needed some support, no matter what it was. Cheers echoed as Harry, the Boy Who Lived, was sorted into Gryffindor. Yet I barely registered it. I was in another world. This interdimensional fuckface of a time was interrupted by Fran resting a slender hand on my shoulder, eyes once again filled with confusion. Yet this time, it seemed to morph to concern. She stared into my glazed over blue eyes, and finally caught my gaze when she whispered a soft, questioning ‘amour?’ into my ear. It was completely platonic of the girl, yet it never failed to make me blush. I coughed quietly and sat up, shaking my head. “Sorry about that, Fran. I s’pose I was out of it for a second.” She still had a lingering worry tracing her features, yet brushed it off and cheered for the next few students. 

I soon recovered from my worry, partaking in the conversation a few friends had drummed up, and eating plenty. I looked up to the professors, having not seen them all in so long. Dumbledore sat there in his silent kindness, conversing with Mrs. McGonagall and drinking from a goblet. My eyes grazed over the rest, eventually falling upon none other than Severus Snape. He seemed oddly joyful; in his mannerisms, yes, but no smile was present. Of course, never in all my years would I think to see Professor Snape smile. It seemed like something of impossibility.  
Dinner finished up quite soon after, and I once again had to depart from my friends to instruct the first years. This time, however, they were official Gryffindors. It made me quite proud to see them, yet hurt. Jack could’ve been among these few. Or he could’ve upheld the Dalton legacy like I could not, becoming a proud Slytherin. All of these possibilities, ruined.

“Olivia! You take the girls?”

I snapped up, looking down at the expectant first year females and sighing. A nod was sent from me to the male Prefect across the hall. I formed a smile and coughed, getting everyone’s attention. “My name is Olivia Dalton! I am your 6th year Prefect, but there are six of us! So do not hesitate to approach any of us if you have questions at any point in time! I understand that you are all supposedly female, but if you identify as anything else, please let me know and I’ll change your pronouns in the school records. We are inclusive here; no bullying, no dueling outside of adult supervision, essentially don’t be a rude twit! This goes for our many ghosts and portraits as well!”, I gestured to transparent ghosts floating through the halls, waving and tipping their hats, then turning the students’ attention to paintings waving kindly as well. The girls immediately erupted into gasps and laughs, a few waving back. 

I lectured them on the moving staircases, taking them up to the Gryffindor common rooms. My bangs were swooped to the side with a tilt of the head, and I continued to instruct them on the ways of the school. The last thing to do was give them the password, and send them to bed. I sighed in a breathless relief, thankful to have finished carrying out my duties for the first day. Classes would start tomorrow, which meant I’d need an early bedtime; right about now, in fact.  
I headed to the dorms, opening up the door in which most female sixth years resided, catching the eyes of my friends. They smiled, Fran running to me and pushing me down onto a bed as the others gushed about the first years. 

“Oh, didn’t they look so cute?”  
“They had no idea what they were doing! It’s always hilarious to see those bright eyed twats!”  
“Thank god we didn’t get sorted into that dreadful Slytherin house our first year.”  
“I don’t know, a few Slytherin boys look quite cute.”

I sighed and shook my head, a smile passing across my pale complexion. Yet my cheeks reddened as a fire was started up with the flick of a girl’s wand. I found myself settling into bed on top of the sheets and covers, looking around at the warmly lit room in awe. It smelt of old books and tea leaves, the rustic feeling that mostly filled a Gryffindor dormitory. Stars sparkled brightly outside, the moon shining in on the middle of the room and bookshelves casting shadows. The sky was free of light pollution, something that always made me smile. It was one of the smallest things about Hogwarts, and the wizarding world in general, yet it meant the world to me. Most of my friends had grown up in the wizarding world, but I was raised in a muggle house; where the smoke in the air was plentiful, and the stink of factories never ceased.  
Gen woke me from my thoughts, something that I often managed to get caught up in. “Liv! Tell Fran what you think of her rubbish idea.” I perked up, sitting on the bed and tilting my head. The light from the moon sparkled in my eyes, and my lips shone under the warm luminance. “Well which one of her many rubbish ideas is this?” “Very funny, you two.” Fran looked just about done with our shit, rolling her eyes and plopping down on the bed adjacent. “Garrett and I want to pull a prank on Snape with the Weasley boys. We’re going to cast a locking spell on his quarter doors, and time how long it takes him to show up for breakfast tomorrow!” There was an edge of excitement in her voice, and a mischievous spark in her eyes. Gen was not one to partake in something as dangerously dumb as this, and I was reluctant to even know of it, given my Prefect position. And so I shook my head, deciding the plan was dastardly and, of most things, dumb. “You can’t do it, Fran. He’ll give you a month of detentions. It’s the first night!” The brunette grinned, eyebrows furrowing in determination. “He’ll only do so if he catches us; which he won’t.” I rolled my eyes, standing and stretching out. It was time to change into my sleeping robes, and attempt my hardest to not worry over my friends. “You’re not supposed to be out at night. Prefects could be in the dungeons, patrolling.” The French teen shook her head, a seeming glint in her emerald eyes; oh no. She was planning on involving me. “Livvie, let’s make the most out of our years of adolescence here. We need some stories to reminisce on!!! The Prefects won’t pay any mind to us if you’re there. Just keep your badge on!” I shook my head, turning from the group, as if closing off any possible chance of agreeing. “It’ll be plenty suspicious that I’m escorting four Gryffindor students down to the Dungeons, Francesca.” A lightbulb went off in my head; the temporary invisibility spell. I was most likely one of the few 6 years who knew it, having read of it in my father’s library. It would disguise them. And make the prank possible…  
Fran seemed to have seen this sudden realization, grabbing me lightly by the shoulders, eyes wide. “What is it?” I shook my head, scoffing. “You twit, let’s do it.”


	2. Troublemakers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PRANK ON SNAPE TIMEEEEE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright boys its TIME for SOME SNAPE INTERACTIONSSSSS- I wonder how this prank will turn out >:3

The boys met Fran and I in the common room, careful to be as silent as possible. I explained the plan to them, and the interval of time allowed for them to cast the spell without being seen. “You have fifteen minutes. The walk to the dungeons is about 3-5, so you’ll really have a mere five minutes to cast the spell. I don’t know what you’re all doing this for bu-” Fran cut me off, pouting and grabbing my arm. “You’re not coming with us?” I furrowed my brow and gave a tilt of my head. As if reading my mind, Fred spoke, “Aren’t ya the only one who knows the spell? What if we run out of time and need ya, Liv?” I groaned, giving a moment of silence to think the situation over. “The things I do for you lot.” There were quiet cheers from the four, Garrett nudging my arm and smiling. I begrudgingly returned it, finding his happiness was contagious. 

After whispering the spell once, twice, thrice, four times, they were all successfully cloaked. I decided it was smarter to go visible myself, for I’d be able to distract anyone in the hall if they made a noise. Which, knowing the four of them, would happen. Preparing myself for an inevitable disaster, I exited the painting and gave a little sheepish wave to large woman. She shook her head disapprovingly, no doubt hearing the conversation on the other side of the wall. 

In solemn silence, I started down the stairs, only now realizing I had forgotten shoes. It was normal for my invisible partners at this moment in time, to prevent noise of course, yet it was not proper for a witch or wizard to wander through the halls without their full uniform; including shoes. I simply prayed that my robes were long enough to not be noticeable, and continued through the castle at a steady pace. Large windows cast bright moonlight into the halls, illuminating the cold stone floors with a bluish glow. A ‘watch it’! could be heard from behind me, as well as a fumbling of feet, the noises seemingly stemming from George and Fred. I rolled my eyes, stopping abruptly to communicate how needed their silence was. My heart beat faster as I continued down the hall, hearing very obvious footsteps. Not daring to lift my head up, I walked on, eventually stopping as a throat was cleared. Looking up, I felt my body go rigid. Every part of me froze, the only thing working being my beating heart.

I let out a ragged breath, forcing a smile at the 6’0 tall man; Professor Severus Snape, in all of his cold glory. A small hand found its way out of my robes, as I waved a small wave. He looked me up and down, seemingly reducing me to a mouse in the presence of a tiger. I made a movement behind my back for the others to go either way, feeling their breath hitched as well. I felt all body heat from behind me cease, being able to breathe a bit better with the knowledge that they had left. It was then that I took the courage to speak. 

“Hello Professor Snape!”

He looked at me with a cold, calculating gaze as my voice meekly broke the silence the halls had worked so desperately to create. Finally, after what felt like hours yet was only seconds, Snape’s deep rumbling voice rose. “Miss Dalton. It’s awfully late. I do hope an esteemed Prefect such as yourself isn’t up to any… trouble.” My ears went red, cheeks following right after. He obviously knew something was up, and only hinted at it to torture me. ‘What a dick’. I thought, hesitantly making eye contact with the man. He seemed to have read my mind, yet had no incriminating evidence, and simply glared. Then something odd passed across his face; was that a,,, a smirk? Did Severus Snape just smirk? And why was I the one to witness it? Yet as quickly as it had come, the upturn of lips disappeared. I suppressed a huff, hating how emotionally complex this man was. Yet at the same time, it was a challenge. And I quite enjoyed a challenge. 

When I had come to, I was alone. The Potions master had seemingly vanished, leaving me to wonder where my friends scampered off to, and whether they were okay. As a scream echoed down the hall, I knew they certainly were not.   
I sprinted through the halls, a gentle padding echoing from my socks slapping the stone. Taking so many left and right turns I had lost count, I finally found my way to the four. They were rematerializing, per se, and cowering behind a stone pillar as Ms. McGonagall headed our way. I was incredibly thankful to have reached them before she did, immediately putting on an act. My hair seemed to fluff up, blue eyes turning dark and fierce, and standing in front of them as intimidatingly as possible. 

“What are you four doing out here past lights out? I thought you were all more responsible than this! 10 points from Gryffindor.”

Fran tilted her head, and I was happy to know they had calmed down from the previous scream; whatever that was. I intended to find out later. Garrett finally opened his mouth to speak. “Why would you take points from your own house?” I gave a glare, yet was excited to show off my responsibility to the nearing McGonagall. “It doesn’t matter what house wins if they didn’t do it honorably. I care more about my position as Prefect than any loyalty to any house.” In my peripheral, I could see the woman give a small, approving smile. She walked off, deeming the situation alright in my hands; something that made me swell up with pride. George and Fred gave identical toothy grins and thumbs up, to which I responded with a chuckle, beckoning them to come back to the common room with me. Not sparing a second, our group burst into quiet conversation. “Did you guys make it?” “No- Fred, the nincompoop,-” “Garrett tripped! I just helped him!” “Yeah and slowed us down a shit ton, you arse-” “Well you managed to scream loud enough to wake the whole castle up-” “Innit Garrett’s fault for trippin’ in the first place?” “Hey, don’t pin this on me! I couldn’t see you, ya were invisible!” “That's the whole point ya dunce!” “Well you took us the wrong way!” “George almost stepped on someone’s poor toad!” “Well no wonder he screamed!” “Like a girl- he screamed like a girl-” “I will admit, I thought the scream came from Fran,” with this interjection of mine, we broke out into a fit of giggles near the Gryffindor common rooms. We laughed until our stomachs ached, then, in silence, departed to bed. Laying under the burgundy sheets that night, feeling the smooth silk against my bare legs, taking in the moonlight that streamed through curtains, I could tell this year was going to be a good one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOLESOME ENDDDDD- olivia and you, my dear audience, are gonna have a wonderful year--- hopefully. hehe :)


	3. A Day Full of Fiascos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Olivia manages to get hurt twice today, needing saving by her favorite professor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HJASDJDWSDKKFK- SOMEONE GAVE ME KUDOS- if you're the one who gave me kudos, and you're reading this right now, I LOVE YOU- THANK YOU AJDJDJKDKDSK- I really hope you like it :,)

A chorus of feminine voices roused me from my sleep. Girls were fretting over their first day of classes, passing around books and articles of clothing. I found myself joining in on some small conversations, waving to those I had not seen the night before and welcoming them back to Hogwarts. The younger year girls seemed to tense up as they saw me awaken, no doubt because of my Prefect position. I couldn’t necessarily blame them for being scared of the authority, yet it saddened me to know I wasn’t quite normal this year. I shrugged off my thoughts and headed over to the unpacked luggage of mine, stepping into my stockings, skirt, blouse, and robes following suit. I grimaced at the tie, hating the way it always constricted my neck. I wasn’t against choking, not at all, but something about the subtleness of the constriction bothered me; it gave my hand a compulsion to scratch at it. Disregarding the discomfort, I fastened and tied it around my neck, slipping my long grey socks on and black Mary Janes afterwards. Sighing contently, I began my rounds around the dorms to assist first years with things like their own ties and such.   
Fran, Gen, Lili, and Garrett met up with me in front of the large painting of the woman outside of the common room. I sent a pleasant smile their way, it being returned by Garrett as I made my way down the stairs. They followed suit, a conversation between us drumming up about the classes. 

“Liv, Gen, Lili, if I don’t have Potions with any of you, I may blast myself in the head.”   
“Do it regardless; it’s Potions.”   
“Fran, did you just tell me to off myself?”   
“Oh bugger off, you just implied I wasn’t smart!”  
“And was I wrong?”

There was a tad bit of silence, this moment in which I had no problem breaking with laughter. “It’s 7:30 in the morning, on the first day of school. I’m happy to see you two are back on the regular schedule already.” Lili, with amusement in her voice, turned to me. “Is the regular schedule for them to be dumbarses at this time in the morning then?” Garrett faked a hurt expression as Fran dramatically gasped; the two seemed like they would fit well together, yet they had formed a sort of sibling rivalry over the years. I still wouldn’t be surprised if they hooked up, however.   
We reached the Great Hall for breakfast right on time; which wasn’t official. You see, breakfast arrived on the table at 6 a.m., yet was kept steaming with what I suppose would be some form of wizardry. At 7:45, however, a majority of the school began their rumble down to the Great Hall. All seats would be filled with only a bit of wiggle room for the 5 of us. Which wouldn’t do, of course. Our arrival was always between 7:30-7:40, unless Fran had one of her frequent hangovers, of course. No man left behind, eh? (Although sometimes Garrett’s stomach rumbling was too intense to be denied breakfast.)  
Genevieve’s sweet-like-honey voice pulled me from my thoughts, “Do you lot have your schedules? I’d like to know what classes we share!!!” Her voice was bursting with excitement; it was obvious the girl loved jumping into the intellectual side of the Hogwarts life. Garrett, however, was just urging us to cheer him on in the nearing quidditch game.   
I pulled a sturdy sheet of paper from my messenger bag; it was leather and worn, bearing the initials “R.S.D” on the inside flap. Those letters belonged to my father’s writing. Of course, if I had wanted to, I could’ve gotten a new bag for the school year. Yet the distressed leather and convenient pockets that never got full were well-loved by my dad. It reminded me of him. A piece of home, if you will.   
I perked up as my eyes grazed across the paper. “Herbology first, Transfiguration, DADA, lunch, Charms, Apparition, and Potions for today!” Garrett looked horrified, mouth gaping as I rambled off my list of classes. “Liv, you’re supposed to have a free period! Are you mad?!” I squinted, smiling innocently and shaking my head. “I opted out for more classes! This is my year to finally take Alchemy and Apparition, yet I’d still like Care of Magical Creatures and the occasional Ghoul Studies! I’m also squeezing in Advance Arithmancy Studies, however. I’ll have plenty of time though! Professor McGonagall gave me some help.” I winked at Genevieve, and she sent me a knowing smile while she munched on her food. She had given me a Time-Turner, and I knew I was going to need it. I strived to make the most out of this year, and may be a bit stretched thin by my Prefect duties, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle! The more work, the less time I had to decide on what to do with myself.  
Garrett still looked completely dumbfounded, mock gagging. “Well I at least believe we all have Potions, Transfiguration, DADA…” I stopped paying attention, focusing more on the food in front of me and my growling stomach. I was quite happy to have all of the standard classes with them, yet I wished my friends had the same drive as I did. I knew quite well that Gen and I would have many classes together however, our interests in the electives being stronger than most. Her and I had a thirst for knowledge; something insatiable within us, that I was sure of. Her and I knew we were of the same breed from the first day we met, sitting in a dull Gryffindor study group. It was our first year; Garrett was trying to impress and flirt with me at dinner, while I was attempting to get a headstart on notecards before the group met up. Gen and I strolled through the halls together, yet stayed silent. She had already made a reputation of her intelligence in the first week there, and I was truthfully intimidated. At the study group, the first years were either goofing off or traumatizing Gen with millions of questions. At first she was happy to answer, yet the progressive confusion from the students had swarmed her too much. I took notice of it, suddenly not being able to focus on my notecards anymore. She excused herself to the bathroom, and I followed suit. From that day, we stuck by each other’s side. I managed to introduce her to Garrett, and we later met Fran when she transferred the next year. Genevieve was one of the only students at Hogwarts to be fluent in French (language classes are scarce at Hogwarts), and managed to wrangle the baguette into our group as well. Lilian came later with a meet cute at   
Hogsmeade, and Gen was in love. I was quite lucky to be around these amazing people; to have found fast friends that the first years were most likely struggling to do as of now.  
Speaking of first years, a short girl tapped me on the shoulder. She had bushy brown hair and a poker face on; something that made me smile warmly. She was radiating innocence yet knowledge. It quite reminded me of Genevieve herself. 

“Miss Dalton?”  
“Oh, just call me Olivia! What do you need Miss…”  
“Hermione Granger!”  
“Wonderful to meet you Hermione! How can I help ya?”  
“Where is the closest bathroom?”  
“The closest one would be… well excusing the staircases… why don’t I just take you there myself?”

This girl, Hermione, set a satisfied smile on her face. “Thank you!” I nodded in response, returning the smile and excusing myself from my friends. They waved, looking quite annoyed that a first year had stolen me away. It was nice to be wanted; it made my heart smile and my eyes spark up with a newfound happiness. “I know your first day hasn’t quite started yet, but how has Hogwarts been treating you so far?” Hermione seemed surprised that I would speak to her on the otherwise silent walk, yet relaxed into the conversation and thought for a moment. “Some kids are real dumb.” I had to hold back a wheeze at her blunt statement. I wished not to demean the girl, so I smiled amusedly and nodded. “They are indeed. Don’t worry, it’s mostly just the boys. It’ll get better soon.” The girl seemed satisfied with my answer, giving it a nod of approval. As we neared the entrance to the bathrooms, I faced Hermione. “If you ever want some smarter kids to talk to, you know my name.” I sent a little wink and turned away, hearing a distanced “Thank you Miss Olivia!” in response. It made me giggle, and definitely set me into bright spirits for the coming day.   
Upon entering the Great Hall once again, it was quite empty. Students must’ve been getting ready for classes- which would’ve been a good idea for me to do as well. Yet the toast called my name, only having eaten a few strips of bacon before the pleasant interaction with Hermione. The only remaining member of my group was Garrett, waving warmly as I neared the table. “The rest left; I’m assuming to do makeup or something.” I feigned a shocked expression, “You didn’t want to do your makeup too? Garrett, how are you to stay beautiful?!” He snorted, rolling his eyes as I joined in on the unattractive laughter. Not that it mattered; Garrett was a safe space. And so the two of us headed back to the Gryffindor common rooms, toast in hand.   
I set my bag down, only plopping in a lip gloss incase I looked like trash later; or one of my friends needed a quick glowup. The textbooks of mine were already in my bag, and all I had left on my checklist was a decision of accessories and makeup. I put on winged eyeliner, satisfied with the subtle glam and wrapped a red and a yellow scrunchie onto my wrist. No, I was not above scrunchies. They are cute and hurt your head less, I will duel anyone who disagrees. With the mention of dueling, I checked for the wand that lay in my robe pocket and smiled contently. I was all ready to go, and would simply wait on a friend or two to be prepared as well. Speak of the devil; Garrett popped his head into the girl’s dorm, causing Fran to furrow her brows. “There’s a perv in the dorm!!!” As the girls turned to look at the fluffy haired handsome dumbarse, half giggled and half fawned. It was not a rumor that Garrett was widely crushed on; it was simply fact. I could definitely see where they were coming from. He was cute, tall, a tad muscular, and approachable. And, of course, hilarious. Although I’d never let him know I thought that. It’d go to his head, making it even bigger and making him even dumber. I giggled at my internal roasting session, knowing it was all good spirited at the end of the day.   
Garrett broke me from my thoughts- as many had to do very often- with a whistle. “Come on Liv! You’re the only one ready!” I shook my head, spraying his chest with perfume as he gagged. “It smells like a fake flower field. Olivia, you already smell so nice! Why would you-” he caught himself, but it was too late. A redness came across my cheeks. “How do you know what I smell like?” He stammered with words as Gen watched intently; she didn’t seem interested in the conflict, yet was merely studying human behavior as she loved to do. “I’m always around you, and I have a nose!” I giggled, pushing past him and throwing the bottle of perfume on my bed. “See you in Herbology, you perv!” He furrowed his brows and ran after me, easily catching up with his longer legs. Yet he slowed down, seemingly pitying my shortness. I quickened my pace, shocking the teen as he progressed. “I will catch you for my honor you twat!” Breathing heavily, I let out an airy laugh and finally let out my last burst of speed. “You may be fast but I’m short! Try to catch me, dunce!” We had flung ourselves out of the common rooms, and were sprinting through the halls; most likely to the confusion of students going at a normal pace. In all of the commotion Garrett and I had obviously been causing, I failed to recognize my surroundings; and my head collided with none other than Professor Snape’s chest, sending me tumbling onto the cold stone floors. Even illuminated with the sun streaming in through the windows, the ground managed to send a chill down my spine, as well as a sharp stone cutting my hand. I heard Garrett’s breathy gasp behind me, standing absolutely still; as if Snape could only recognize movement. I breathed heavily, now on the ground, head pounding. A small groan escaped my mouth, as I weakly spoke. “I'm so incredibly sorry Professor. Garrett and I were being incredibly immature. Even if I hadn’t ran into you, our shenanigans would’ve been wrong.” Daring to make eye contact with the man after my small confession, he reached a strong, pale hand out to me. My instincts told me it was a trick, this small gesture of kindness seeming impossible to stem from a person such as Snape. But I took it, him lifting me up off of the ground with ease. Our touch sent sparks running through my arm, finding their way around my body as I blushed at the surprising warmth of his hand. It was such a gentle, yet firm grip. Something that sent another round of sparks flying into me. As I pulled my hand away, however, blood had smeared onto his own palm. He looked up to me, sighing. “Even a Prefect manages to hurt herself in something as foolish as this.” I tensed up, feeling quite ashamed for disappointing the man. I knew disappointment was inevitable from someone such as him, yet it never failed to sting. The good thing was, that all of my years in his class, I had built up a much thicker skin. Something we could all stand to have in our lives.   
I was broken from my thoughts as he traced the wounded area of my palm. Once again, his touch sent fireworks spreading through me. His contact was electric. It shocked me to my very core, and I,,, loved it? Before my thought process took some unholy term, I grabbed a bandage from my bag and looked at it skeptically. “Do you think this’ll be able to cover it?” Snape looked up, scoffing, and shook his head. “It’s quite a deep cut; nothing we’ll need Madam Promfrey for, however. 15 minutes until classes. Follow me.” His voice was deep, seemingly rumbling from within him and festering in the air as he spoke. Every syllable seemed to be important; I did hang onto his words as if they were.   
The tall man did not wait up for me, briskly walking down the hallway and disappearing with a turn. Garrett looked to me, looking quite shocked. “Should I stay with you?” I shook my head, sending a reassuring smile to the teen. “Don’t be late to your first day of class.” He seemed unsure, yet headed down the hall with me and we soon parted ways. Taking a right, and waving to Garrett, I caught only a glimpse of Snape’s tall form through the crowded halls, and ran, pushing past students and bursting out apologies. They all mostly seemed unbothered by it, which I was quite grateful for. I finally made my way to the tall man; he was descending the steps of the dungeons, and I was breathing heavily. “How are you so, fast?” My words broke up to let me catch oxygen in between, still hobbling down the stairs behind him. The man was over half a foot taller than me, and didn’t have the courtesy to slow down? I huffed, short legs scrambling to keep up with his long, steady strides. All the potions master granted me was an amused gaze as we reached his classroom. Students were not yet entering, leaving the two of us alone in the cold room. I shivered, never being quite used to the climate down here. I didn’t know how Slytherins slept in this dastardly area.   
The man came to his shelves stocked full of potions, squinting and searching through until his hand settled upon a deep, red, bubbling liquid in a jar. I stared at it skeptically as he neared me, holding out the bottle. “It’ll heal your wound. We were quick enough to prevent scarring.” I relaxed, knowing that no staff member would purposefully put me in danger. Besides, something about Snape made me trust him; the kindness he had shown today was, odd, to say the least, yet I could get used to it. I wanted to, in fact. Thinking of this put a smile on my face, uncorking the bottle and taking a swig. It tasted like bubbled lavender tea, with a hint of ginger. Snape looked up from his desk- which I hadn’t noticed he’d moved to- and shook his head. “You must drink it all for the wound to fully heal.” I nodded, finishing off the bottle and coughing after the ginger picked up in strength. Taking a glance at my palm, the cut was completely gone; only a light line marking where it once was. “All of the remnants of the cut will disappear in a few days.” A grin came upon my face, blue eyes lighting up with happiness. Snape cared. He truly did. Whether or not he realized he was nice, I knew that the man had kindness in his heart. “Thank you, Professor. You’re incredibly kind.” The black haired man seemed quite taken aback by my comment, sputtering a bit. “Uh- You’re welcome, Miss Dalton.” I nodded, leaving the classroom with a satisfied smile on my face. He obviously was not thanked a lot; especially not by a student. Hell, half of the 7th years were too scared to look him in the eye. Not me, it turned out. I had seen a kindness in his heart that would most likely change our relationship for the better. Perhaps I could get some assistance for this year’s N.E.W.T.s from him…   
The bell rang as I headed to Herbology, needing to hurry to reach the greenhouses. I passed many familiar faces, helping first years on my way and waving to those who noticed me. The energy at Hogwarts was incredibly friendly; you just needed to find a sort of confidence and your family. After meeting my irreplaceable friends, the rest of my social life was mostly worriless; if I couldn’t get a date to the Yule Ball, Fran or Garrett would go with me. If I got dumped, I’d have my girl friends and all the snacks I could’ve asked for. If some troublesome Slytherin was bothering me, Garrett would kick them into next week, Gen would destroy them with words, Lili would demean them, and Fran would embarrass them in front of their crush. My friends could be quite ruthless when needed; we protected each other like a pack; I would jump at the chance to help them with anything, and they would do the same for me.   
I finally found my way to the greenhouse being used, quickly apologizing to Professor Sprout and explaining my situation. The woman, head of the Hufflepuff house, seemed very forgiving and sent me to go sit with my friends. I lit up at the sight of them, quickly scampering to the back of the class and questioning what our current task was. As soon as Garrett laid his eyes on me, he jumped up and began with his own questions. “I told everyone what happened; now are you okay?” Fran looked me over, “He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Gen rolled her eyes, patting down the seat next to her. “You can join my group, Liv. You know- I am quite baffled. Why would the professor show that much kindness to anyone? Did he take house points?” Realizing that neither Garrett nor I had been punished, my amused look morphed into one of slight shock. “You know, I don’t suppose he did. I’m not sure what that’s about?” The hour of class went by smoothly, me mostly carrying the project for my focus, and Gen poking and prodding my experience with Snape. She, as mentioned before, loved to study human behavior. It was cute to me how much the girl valued every facial expression and gesture.   
Once the bell rang, I stretched out, yawning and waving away the subtle sweat that accumulated on my forehead. It was always quite hot in the greenhouses, something that I should’ve regarded earlier. Yet it was now too late, and I thankfully would be returning to the chilly castle air.   
The rest of the day went by smoothly, needing to use the Time-Turner for two extra electives, leaving me quite tired. My brain mistakenly believed the end of the day had finally arrived, yet it was unfortunately not. Only one more class left, as Fran reminded me of; Potions. I groaned as my friends picked me up from Apparition. “I already have a horrid headache from that rubbish, and now I have to attend Potions?! Do you know how many horrible smells inhabit that classroom?” Fran scoffed, “Like Bill’s BO?” Garrett mockingly gagged as we made our way down the halls and into the dungeons. “Bill is such a bore compared to his brothers,” I giggled, “Of course you think Fred and George, a couple of third years, are fun. You act like a third year yourself!” The boy pouted, jabbing into my side with his elbow and grinning. “Don’t act like you don’t love me!” I rolled my eyes as the bell rang, thankfully outside the door of the Potions classroom. We filed through, Fran and Garrett somehow managing to have an argument on who would enter first. I grabbed the wizard’s arm and pulled him out of it, the classroom just now being filled with the commotion of other students. Gen witnessed the small fiasco from the back of the classroom, leaning into Lilian’s shoulder. She giggled as we walked up to the tables next to them. “Your childish natures never cease to amaze me, and Liv, you’re such a good mom.” I laughed lightly, “As if I would ever have children as dull as these.” I reassured the two that they were plenty smart right after my statement, then turned to my leather bag and pulled out a textbook and a small notebook for my own studying purposes. N.E.W.T.s would come quicker than anyone could think, and I intended on being prepared.   
We were to review Draughts and then make our own Invigoration Draught. I was excited to get started, having practiced potion brewing over the summer with my father. He was supposedly quite a good student, and even knew of Professor Snape; they were in the same house, yet my father was in his seventh year when Snape came to Hogwarts. This little nugget of information made me perk up, whispering to Garrett. “According to my dad, Snape is only 31 or so.” The shaggy haired boy turned to me, trying to hold back a wheeze. “Severus Snape isn’t even a dilf?!” I couldn’t hold in my laughter, falling apart at the seams and snorting until I fell back into my chair. Due to the distraction, however, Garrett seemed to have dropped too much honeywater into the cauldron, causing it to smoke a sickly sweet smelling yellow. I cursed silently, taking over the potion for him as Snape looked up skeptically at all the caused noise. “Mr. Easton, I’m impressed. You’ve managed to ruin everything on your first day back. 10 points from Gryffindor.” The goofy boy turned pale as I felt all eyes on us, scampering to right the wrongs of the potion. Honeywater had a fatal reaction to scurveygrass when imbalanced, which meant I had around thirty seconds to fix it before a small explosion occurred. Gen neared, knowing that I was essentially playing with fire, but dared not say a word. She didn’t intend on pulling me out of my zone, knowing that it could have harmful consequences. I felt the cold presence of Snape near us, knowing what would happen as well. “Miss Dalton, what you’re doing is foolish- step away before it’s too late-” yet it already was, not being able to find a proper stabilizer for the mass amounts of honeywater. Normally, a bit more scurveygrass would balance it out, and the potion would just be slightly bigger. Yet I realized, much too late, that all of the honeywater had been expelled into the cauldron. And so, as you probably assumed, a sickly sweet cloud of imbalance Invigoration Draught exploded in my face, knocking me back to the ground as I coughed profusely. My friends rushed to my side, picking me up and setting me in a chair as Snape checked me over. This just added to my horrible headache, feeling as though a migraine had come on. Apparition was painful at first, and this just worsened the blow. What really made it bad, however, was the scowl on Snape’s face. He seemed disappointed in me, and it hurt. “I’m sorry Professor-” “Typical of a Gryffindor to go too far. That was dangerous. Another 10 points from Gryffindor for your foolish actions, and the interruption of my class.” I nodded, looking away in shame and wincing as my head turned. Immediately, out of my peripheral, I could see Snape’s eyes soften. “Are you hurt?” “....Headache. I had Apparition before this.” He rolled his eyes, as if thinking ‘of course she did’. I instantly felt worse, as though I had further irritated the man. I refused the tears that threatened to escape from my eyes, affected by the pounding of my head and the disappointment from this man, that I had seemed to take a liking to? God, feelings were so confusing. He ordered me to Madame Pomfrey’s- Garrett offered to walk me there, but Snape refused- and I left the dungeons solemnly. As I neared the medical wing, I knew I didn’t want to see anyone else today. Especially not someone who I had to explain this whole fiasco to. And so, I took the stairs up to the Hogwarts common room, the large lady looking down at me with pity and letting me in as I whispered the password. After finding my way into my dorm room, I collapsed on the bed and grunted, falling into a peaceful sleep and effectively missing dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHY IS LIV SUCH A DUMB GRYFFINDOR SOMETIMES- hehe


	4. The Infatuation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Olivia wakes up to a package from a certain professor, then goes on a small excursion around the castle late at night. - Part of this chapter is important (indirect) Snape interaction, the ending is just like Olivia vibing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOAH HEY THANKS FOR COMMENTING AND KUDOS AND- SJFJDEJFDM its really cool to know that other people like this and wanna read my writing. it makes me genuinely smile, and inspires me to write more. thank you for supporting me :)

I awoke around 1 a.m., unsurprised to find my friends fast asleep and my headache still lingering. The dorm room was silent, only minute snores coming from a few of the girls. In the muggle world, it seemed as though everyone stayed up late, surpassing the ungodly hours of the morning. But at Hogwarts, and the wizarding world in general, bedtimes were a bit stricter. It could be due to the old fashioned nature of most things here, yet I don’t suppose I’d ever be fully sure. Human nature could often be inexplicable. People never failed to surprise me. A timely example of this came with the hooting of an owl on the balcony; one of the many reasons on why I loved gryffindor. Our view of the campus was vast and beautiful, something that never failed to steal my breath away. And it made messages via owl much easier to obtain. Some part of me seemed to assume that this owl was for me, knowing that nobody else in the dorms would be awake at this time. The first day had seemed to drain all. No matter who it was for, I would want to reassure myself by looking at the packaging. And, of course, give the owl some well deserved rubs. The glass door to the balcony creaked as I winced, managing to push it fully open with no more sound and nearing the owl. “Well hello there. It’s awfully sweet of you to deliver something at this hour, thank you!” The owl let out a happy hoot, dropping the small package tethered to its foot and freeing themselves from it. They flew away, assumedly to the owlery.   
I checked the address, pondering slightly, a gasp escaping me as I was indeed the expected receiver. The writing on the coffee stained package was delicate and undoubtedly wonderful penmanship. I leant on the concrete of the balcony’s railing, carefully opening the package that revealed a potion in a note inside. The note read as follows; 

“Olivia, your instructions were to visit Madame Pomfrey. You failed to do this. Drink this to help relieve your headache, and avoid any future explosions. Disregard the missed assignment for now.”

A pure, unadulterated giggle escaped my throat as my eyes scanned through the gentle lettering. It was, no doubt, from Professor Snape. He, of all people, had taken the time to write me a letter, brew up a potion, and sent it on its way to my balcony. I couldn’t stop my heart from fluttering, finally giving up, allowing happiness to flow through me. My cheeks were warm, stomach twirling, and heart skyrocketing. I had no time to check the silliness of my seemingly new crush, wanting to lavish in the feeling this sweet gesture from the brooding man brought. I dashed back to my bed, pouncing onto it with a sweet sigh. My eyes were closed, lips stretched into a smile. It seemed as though I’d evaded that dreadful headache with the simple feeling of- whatever I dare call my newfound infatuation with this teacher. Would a younger me have described it as love? Yes, there’s no doubt about that. At least I’d managed to become more emotionally in control over the years. Only to an extent, of course. Some part of me had to be a dumb schoolgirl.   
I sat up from my bed, finally grounding myself and letting out a small cough. It was then that I proceeded to deny: This was simply an infatuation for his human behavior. In no way do I like Professor Snape. He is my professor, and I simply am interested in these small acts of kindness. Yet I suppose a small part of me has always found his brooding nature, lean figure, complex black eyes, deep rumbling voice, stupidly greasy black hair,,, etc, quite attractive. I wouldn’t dare admit any of that at this point, however.   
The headache seemed to return with my pensive and conflicted thoughts, inducing a groan. I turned to the purple, shimmering liquid in the bottle that lay beside me, sending an appreciative smile into the universe and uncorking it.  
The last few swigs of the bottle were quite hard to get down, considering I was on an empty stomach. My body suddenly wanted to remind me of this, grumbling nonstop until I saw a few of the other girls stir. My noise would not be tolerated in here; I had to find another place to be a ruckus, I supposed.   
Escaping to the common room, I felt a stomachache boil inside of me and huffed. I supposed my body wished to torture me tonight…? I knew, of course, that taking almost any potion on an empty stomach can have ramifications such as stomachaches. And Merlin knows I wasn’t going to fall asleep anytime soon. Cursing my refusal to bring snacks from the trolley on the first day up to my room, I traveled to the empty halls of the castle. It was eerily silent, and I knew that the padding of my socks against the stone wouldn’t do. A quick silencing spell was cast on them, and I continued on my way, not really sure where I was heading. Yet as I approached the stairs down to the basement, I knew my stomach was in control of me; leading me right to the entrance of the kitchens. I tickled the pear on the select painting, and a door handle materialized. Upon entering, I was greeted with the sight of many elves cooking and baking away. A few who recognized me sent small waves and kind smiles, but many were far too busy with their work. Garrett used to take me to the kitchens in our first year; we would go late in the night, just before a shift ended, and ask for some leftovers from dinner. Of course, the elves always greeted us with returned kindness and new food, instead. It fell out of our tradition once we found a larger group of friends, but I still look back on it fondly. As if reading my mind, my favorite elf walked up. “Winky!!! How are you?” I held out my arms for her to hug me, if wanted. Thankfully, she did. “Winky is good, you needing me? You needing food?” I smiled apologetically. “I slept through dinner; anything will do, if possible. I should come down here more often, not just when I’d like food. I’m awfully sorry for that.” Winky shook her head, letting a toothy grin pass across her pale face. I knew that the elf loved to serve, yet I still felt awful asking for things so informally.   
She headed towards me, bearing a plate full of hummus and vegetables and a glass of water. My stomach rumbled, quite on cue, as she held them out to me. “Thank you, so much Winky! I’ll return with the dishes, alright? I’ll just be eating right outside.” “Me’s glad to make happy!” I shook my head at the broken English. It never bothered me, yet I wished they’d had a proper education. They of course, deserved it, as did every species existing in society. It seemed quite too late for my brain to dwell on the injustices of elf oppression, yet I dared to do it anyways, munching on carrots and peppers as my cog wheels turned. I rested my head against the stone wall, enjoying the cool feeling that reverberated into all of my exposed skin. The plate was about halfway demolished when my stomach was full, the aching immediately dissipating. A sigh escaped my lips; I now had to make the trip back to the common rooms without being seen. This, of course, wouldn’t be too hard. If I made no noise in the hall, nobody would have a reason to exit their quarters. The few that were awake would most likely be holing up in their rooms, not exploring the castle this late at night.   
This settled my rising anxiety, returning the dishes, saying my goodbyes, and departing for the common rooms once again. A tune began pounding in my head, making me hum it as I wandered through the halls. Thankfully, I returned to my bed without incident, plopping onto the silky sheets and staring through the glass doors of the balcony until my mind quieted. Slowly but surely, I drifted off to sleep, no doubt to be tired for the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooo does Olivia have a crush???? maybe :0


	5. Strike of Unexpected Beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Olivia does her makeup a tad more formal, and seems to attract the attention of a certain Potions professor, although subtle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! im so sorry for my failure to post! i was getting a new laptop and lost power for a while, so i couldn't write on my desktop. :( im back and writing more now though!!! thank you for any patience youve lent me in this time, i can promise another disappearance wont go unprompted. i hope you enjoy!!!

Sunlight streamed in on my face, finding myself wincing in response to the harsh awakening. It was terribly bright outside, but the dorm room was empty. Instinctively my heart rate accelerated as I went to check the clock. It was 8:30, 15 minutes before breakfast ended. I knew I didn’t have a lot of time, but there was a compulsion in me to dress up. And so I did just that, planning to spend extra time on my appearance. But not before I noticed a letter on the bed with Genevieve’s distinctively neat cursive. 

“Liv,  
We know yesterday was tough for you, and understand why you’re sleeping in. You deserve it!!! Yesterday was incredibly tiring for you, and we’re all elated you’re getting some sleep in. If you don’t wake up before breakfast ends and come down, we’ll bring you some of your favorites and then all depart to class together.  
Genevieve”

My heart swelled up, not knowing where I would be with my beyond kind friends. My stomach did rumble accordingly, thankful for their thoughtfulness and excited for potential food. Part of me felt bad making them bring food to me, but there was no way to communicate that to them without sprinting out of my common room naked. Speaking of; I quickly hopped in the shower, usually taking night ones but having failed that task. After a brisk washing, I readied my robes and dried off. I applied winged eyeliner, the usual for me, yet also popped on some blush and red tinting to my lips. I looked like I had a cold, but a cute one? It was a look quite fancied at Hogwarts, yet all the students usually failed to properly apply makeup in the mornings due to the rush to breakfast and then class. Besides, the underclassmen had no idea what makeup was. It was uncommon for many other than teens and young women in the wizarding world. (Of course drag bars were well beloved among many young witches and wizards) 

I was quite satisfied with my look, doing a coy pose in the mirror and moving to fluff up my hair. It was air drying quite nicely, giving me less to worry about as I pulled my clothing on. My tie, however, was left undone as my friends unceremoniously burst into the dorm room.

“Livvie! Did ya miss us?”  
“There’s no way she missed you, unbaked baguette.”  
“Hilarious, mon ami. Too bad she loves me more than you.”  
“Sounds like Garrett is jealous.”  
“Would you shut it, Gen?”  
“That’s my girlfriend you’re talking to, twig.”

I simply watched the commotion from afar, giggling at each and every comment they threw each other’s way. A smile passed across my face as I noted Gen’s blush; Lili protecting her made her unbelievably flustered, something that was quite sweet to watch; even though it was another reminder that we were all single as hell, yet to find our loves. And while a relationship would be something most likely very comforting, I was not searching. I was definitely searching for a deep connection, but that could simply be a level of friendship I lacked with anyone in my group. Love would only be pursued by me if the stress was worth it; classes had just begun and I was already incredibly busy. A dating life would just get in the way of a possibly more efficient schedule. My friends broke me out of my thoughts, as it seemed they always had to do, my mind being something to slip back into when reflection was needed. It was the perk of spending time as a group; my regular pensive thoughts would not be disturbed, and I’d intervene when necessary. Of course, I’d consider myself an extrovert. Just an extrovert who accidentally pondered a bit too much sometimes. See? Here I am, once again getting lost in my thoughts. 

Fran and Garrett passed me many plates stock full of pancakes, waffles, fruits, bagels, muffins, as well as a small glass of orange juice. I laughed, shaking my head at the bounty of food. “You know, when you said ‘my favorites’, I was expecting a waffle or two and some fruit; not the entire Great Hall.” Lili seemed to have an exasperated look on her face, nodding in agreement with me. “Exactly! I told them you wouldn’t eat this much!” Garrett perked up, sending a devious smile her way. “But I will.” Another laugh escaped me as I went to grab my meds; nothing serious, just some antidepressants. I was not ashamed of my mental illnesses; back in my fourth year, I’d started a protest to hire a few guidance counselors and had been very open about my experiences. It thankfully inspired and helped many young witches and wizards; yes, we now have eight guidance counselors. Two for each house, to be specific. 

Finished with reminiscing on the experience, I popped the assigned two into my mouth and took a sip of orange juice to help it down. I grabbed a waffle and took a hearty bite, elated to be eating after my stomach groaned and moaned for such a long time. 

Soon enough, Garrett had devoured the entire breakfast, I had eaten my share, and we were on our way to class. The first class of the day was Potions, our periods mixing up for each day on a weekly schedule. Thinking back to last night, I could not stop my heart from fluttering. My mind had thankfully been given a break from that tall, dark, brooding man, yet I could take it no longer and let my thoughts be swarmed with mental images of him. His caring was odd, something that enamored me and compelled me to play on dangerous territory. What would a detention with Severus Snape be like…? Many dared to never cross his path, so I was quite certain it would be just the two of us if I was tempted to,,, act up. Arriving in the dungeons, I took a seat next to Fran and sighed contently. She took a glance in my direction, a small blush passing across her face. “Olivia, you look striking.” I stiffened up at the comment, not expecting words like these. “Wh-?” “I love your makeup; it’s incredibly subtle, yet gorgeous. I might need to stop with my red lip and try that out. How do you do it-?” Fran was definitely one to compliment, having no problem with being affectionate. Yet the words were so genuine, that they instilled a confidence within me for the rest of the day.   
As class started up, I felt dark eyes on me. They had to be Snape’s; nobody else’s stare could possibly make me feel so small. And so I dared to look up from my notebook, finding his onyx eyes fail to flicker away. They were deep, complex, holding a sea of emotions that nobody had a boat to sail across. It was almost impossible to read his expression, only finding a flicker of fire and lust in those eyes; something that shocked me to my very core. Was this a result of him looking at me? Or was I completely delusional? I went with the latter, returning to my work. Much to my disappointment, I had not the guts to cause commotion. Detention was out of the picture, and I would simply be moving on to the next class after this. Yet, as the bell rang, and I was called to stay after class, a nervousness spiked in me. My heart was beating fast, cheeks redder than before and lips pouted- a subconscious decision to look alluring, I supposed?  
My friends offered worried looks, volunteering to stay outside and wait for me. But I disregarded their concern, a part of me a bit giddy to have some more, alone time with this man. They departed, the classroom suddenly empty as I neared the front. 

“Professor Snape, you needed me?” His black eyes flickered up to meet my blue ones, immediately sending shivers down my spine. But in a good way,,, as if electricity sparked up at the simple eye contact. His deep, mighty, rumbling voice woke me from my thoughts; “Yes. I do hope your headache has subsided, for you need to complete this assignment by the end of the week.” He held out a small packet to me, the ones that my friends received when I was out of class. I sighed, nodding, taking the packet and failing to know why and how I let my foolishness get the best of me. What did I expect him to do? Kiss me? That would be quite nice actually…

I coughed loudly, feeling horrible for thinking these thoughts; especially right in front of the man. He once again looked back up to me with a raised brow. “Ah- uhm- thank you, Professor. Of course, I am fortunate in those regards. A very kind man gave me a potion to ease my head. He also warned me about the upcoming assignment, thankfully. It was quite charming; very thoughtful.” I put on a playful smirk, seeing a look of shock pass across his face before it was swiftly masked by his usual apathetic nature. Yet, despite his cold appearance at the time, Snape seemed content to tease. “He was simply doing something for someone kind. That’s my theory.” I giggled, a small laugh sure to make any man crack a smile. Yet he didn’t. I did, however, feel his composure ease up. Definitely a work in progress, if you ask me.   
After a few moments of silence, Snape seeming entirely comfortable with my presence, the bell rang and students trickled in. He snapped up, eyes once again cold and unforgiving. “Get to class, Miss Dalton.” I was slightly taken aback by the sudden shift in behavior, yet would expect nothing more from a man like this; a man who seemed surprised that I would compliment him, that I would want to talk to him. He quite clearly dismissed his good deeds, something that could be seen if you cared to observe enough. Of course, I bet everyone in the student population was too terrified to even hold a conversation with the man. It made sense. He was an imposing figure, he graded a bit harshly, he was skeptical and closed off, and I don’t think anyone had ever seen him smile. Yet something about this, entranced me. He was quite clearly this closed off and strict for a reason; and I cared to find out what it was. Since nobody else did.


	6. Growing Crushes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a bit of a filler, just before halloween at hogwarts and the quidditch game on the weekend! it reflects on some of olivia's past, brings up her relationships with her beloved friends, etc. and of course, a special nonverbal conversation with snape occurs >:333

The last few days of life had passed without incident, simply attending to my Prefect duties and dealing with the arseload of work my classes had handed to me. It was stressful, sure, yet I was learning loads; things sure to help me in the future if I chose to stay in the wizarding world. My father Reginald thought of the wizarding world as dangerous, yet knew Hogwarts was prepping me for that very same world; not the muggle’s. My other dad, Christian, had few experiences with places such as Diagon Alley, and had incredibly enjoyed it. I suppose a bit of lineage wouldn’t hurt; my father Christian is a muggle. He married my father, a pureblood wizard, many years back, and I was born later. My surrogate mother was a witch, and my biological father is Reginald. I am therefore technically a pureblood, yet the status matters not to me. The importance of this title rules mostly over the house of Slytherin, and I’m often surprised my father, an old Slytherin himself, chose to marry a muggle and ‘ruin’ the title. My parents always claimed that love would change you; make you do things you never thought possible or sensible. I believe this, of course, for how am I to discard it when I have not experienced love? 

After the first week of this new school year, I was to begin attending my volunteering with Madam Pomfrey. You see, when I grow older and depart from Hogwarts, my aspiration is to help those in need. To become a Healer. Madame Pomfrey was kind enough to help foster this want in me. It’s currently to be my first year of assisting her (after my classes of course), and I’m elated. Yet I first had to get through the day, sitting through class by class until reaching the medical bay. 

For the start of the day, I finally awoke on time, scurrying to get my makeup done. There was a scar on my jawline, one that I preferred to cover up. Less questions were asked. Over the years, it had healed, yet you could still notice the blasted thing without the assistance of concealer. My friends had seen the scar before due to showers and then late night escapades following said washing up; no matter how much I liked to hide that physical reminder of my past, I did not want to sleep with makeup on and end up with acne. At the beginning of our relationships, yes, they asked questions. But my heart was too closed off to give answers just yet. For if I didn’t admit it, it surely wasn’t real, correct? I was fully aware this denial would get me nowhere through the grieving process I had ever failed to complete, but hiding was easier. Besides, I’d never stop blaming myself. My parents claimed their love helped them move on. But the loss of a child is something impossible to bear. I know their hearts still ache at the mention of him. Mine does too. Such as my mind torments me until another thought or distraction takes dominance. Perhaps love would one day give me the strength to move on such as they had claimed to do . Maybe. Hopefully. Although Merlin knows it wasn’t just love I needed; it was someone to trust with my secrets, someone to help me process the loss that had occurred so many years before. I do not really know what love entails, but if these are a few components, then it doesn’t seem so bad, I suppose.   
After properly applying makeup and running my fingers through my hair a few times, I began to change. It went by quickly, and all I had to do for the next 15 or so minutes was wait for my friends to get dressed themselves.   
This happened soon, thankfully. And so I took my pills, as did some other girls in the dorm, (most girls were on birth control- it often made me wonder when they found the time to… you know.) and departed from the common room. Gen and Lili were in a quiet discussion of current muggle politics, being quite entranced with their new course this year; Muggle Studies. They were both purebloods, yet cared not about the status. As they entertained themselves, Fran and Garrett had their usual morning bickering. I often wondered if they even liked each other, yet the small acts of kindness they had shown for the other always cued me in on their secret fondness. Garrett was sweet and dumb, and loved to banter with those who seemed witty enough to banter back. Fran was protective of those she loved dearest, yet was not afraid to challenge Garrett every so often. It was funny to me, most of their disagreements being incredibly lighthearted. Of course, for the Gryffindor movie nights, they could be seen snuggling up and eating popcorn together. It of course clued me in on some imaginary relationship; yet Fran never wanted to commit, and Garrett was not interested in love. He’d told me a few years back that he had his eyes on some girl, yet that was the last I’d heard of his love life. Nowadays, he’d take a girl to the Yule Ball that didn’t have a date already and they’d simply become friends. Garrett was deemed one of the most attractive guys at Hogwarts, especially due to his approachable and kind glow. Yet he’d never really dated. Everything was platonic for him, except for his few crushes on celebrities. It once again struck me how lucky I was; to have these wonderful people in my life. I may have suffered a horrible loss, yet the gods of fate decided to bestow upon me these wonderful people. I halted my walking, Fran bumping right into me and apologizing. Gen immediately began to fret over me, wondering why I’d stopped, yet halted her inspection when she saw a huge smile on my face. I wrapped the four of them up in a hug, their confusion slowly melting into acceptance and returning the large embrace. “I love you all so much.” My voice was breathy, and as we pulled away, I wiped a tear from my eye. It was alone in its escapade down my face, and was created out of pure sentiment. Gen took my hand in hers, and we continued on our walk to the Great Hall, our group once more alive with lighthearted conversation.   
Breakfast went by without incident; unless we were to discuss my constant glancing at Professor Snape. I didn’t know what it was, but my eyes could not be taken away from his frame for more than a few seconds. He was sitting rigidly, posture perfect, onyx eyes darting across the Great Hall yet always eventually setting on the staff member he was conversing with. His disposition was intimidating, yet entrancing. I failed to understand how I had missed this for five years. Yet as Garrett’s joyous laughter shook me out of my head, I knew that any developing feelings for my professor were inappropriate. I was not about to let all of my hard work go to waste with some silly schoolgirl crush infecting my thoughts. But as I felt those deep, onyx eyes on me, I had to look up, meeting gazes with a breathtakingly mysterious man. He had the ghost of a smirk on his face, causing my cheeks to go red. I dared myself to maintain the eye contact, refusing to back down from his hard gaze. This seemed to shake him slightly, yet he immediately averted his eyes to converse with another staff member. I huffed, knowing I had technically ‘won’, yet I really hadn’t. Professor Snape clearly had the power, and was enjoying seeing me fight for a morsel of it. It only fueled my desire more, wanting desperately to have the upperhand on this man. To see a look of surprise in his face; to challenge his constant solemn behavior. I returned to my friends after this fiasco, Garrett discussing the upcoming quidditch match and some ‘wonder boy’, Harry Potter. I froze at his name, knowing it was the boy I’d seen on the train; and the one with the scar. “The Boy Who Lived”. I leant into Gen’s side and sighed softly as she peered down at me; I could only feel the eyes on my head, assuming they were laced with some sort of concern. Garrett continued to speak, being the Captain of Gryffindor’s quidditch team and all; younger boys hung onto his every word. It was quite funny. Anyone could see how intelligent Garrett was when it came to strategy, especially in some type of sport. Yet in academics, he severely lacked. I knew the wizard was smart, he just failed to listen when he didn’t care. I suppose all of his time spent strategizing about the next match was in class; of course, if he completely failed, his title as Captain would be stripped away. That’s where Gen and I came in handy. Lili, while being incredibly intelligent herself, was not as close in our friend group as everyone else was. It was simply that, none of us clicked with her. Gen and Lili were constantly in their own world, leaving less time for us to ‘bond’ with Lili herself. We knew less about her, as did she with us. But that was alright. We still cherished her place with us.   
The rest of the day passed peacefully, cramming in time to study for upcoming tests whenever possible and slowly racking up homework- something that could be dealt with on the weekends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you enjoyed!!! once again, it is a bit of filler, but expect some fun events next chapter! im really just trying to build a relationship between snape and olivia as of now; i promise it will pick up :)


	7. A Late Night with the Professor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OLIVIA GETS SOME QUALITY TIME WITH SNAPEEEE!!!! its a tad shorter than some of my previous chapters, but i loved writing this and hope you like it just as much as i do. i promise next chap will be much longer!!!!

At Hogwarts, the few well known forms of entertainment were Hogsmeade and quidditch. That being the case, a quidditch game occurred about every weekend. There were enough eager players to interchange, and the houses were always excited to have their go at each other when wanted. It was quite a pleasant arrangement, especially for the poor 1st and 2nd years unauthorized to attend Hogsmeade on their own.   
I myself was never a sport junkie, yet failed not to enjoy a stress free time with my friends, essentially cheerleading for Garrett while he tried to stay in his head for proper strategizing. It was hilarious to see how distracted he could get with our cheering; of course, it quite made sense. The speaking of one’s name almost always makes their ears perk and lose their current focus.   
As the weekend neared, so did everyone’s excitement for the first big game (the one the week before was postponed). 1st years were itching to cheer on their fellow house members, and older classmen were preparing after a summer of no practice; unless you lived in the wizarding world. The whole talk of Harry Potter was brought up because of his place on the quidditch team; despite being a 1st year. It was rumored that Mrs. McGonagall bent the rules for him; something that shocked me just a tad, considering her seemingly orderly nature. Of course, I had to give it to her; the boy’s parents had died due to Voldemort, and that was all anyone cared for. He deserved some positive special treatment for once, I supposed.   
From what I had seen of the boy, he was quite uncomfortable with the attention. It made me think; had my family’s encounter with the Dark Lord been told? Had it been in the papers? I was raised in the muggle world, so I supposed not many could’ve identified me then; or even pitied my brother. Thinking of it once again sent a shiver down my spine while I contradictingly felt as warm as ever. My face was hot, and my cheeks were red; this Potter boy had only brought up bad memories for me! Why did everyone praise him so? A calmer side of me took over, reminding myself that he had gone through a loss as well. A loss of his parents, no less. While only being a baby, the absence of that biological maternal and paternal love could be scarring. I finally refused to blame the boy, knowing that all this pain was not his fault; if anything, I could offer him a cent of kindness and understanding. Maybe so.   
Saturday had finally arrived, and Garrett was completely distracted with strategic charts and meetings with the Gryffindor team. I myself was catching up on homework and attending to the regular Prefect duties, meaning later nights for me. Many Prefects seemed to have forgotten their duties as I found myself one of the few out patrolling the halls after lights out. It made me doubt myself, as it would naturally do; was this not necessary? Was I not getting the memo? Yet, on this particular night, all of my worries were discarded; I knew I’d be elated to patrol the halls any night after this.

___________

The corridors were empty, moonlight casting upon me in the otherwise darkened halls. I was returning to the Gryffindor common rooms, Mary Janes tapping upon the stone floors. The fall had neared already, making it painfully brisk in the castle. And so I snuggled up into my robes, hoping to find some source of warmth. I passed the dungeons, hearing a loud crashing; as if glass had shattered. These shocking noises were, of course, followed by a string of curses. It alarmed me, accordingly dashing to the source of the noise; finding its origin at the Potions classroom. I sighed, feeling as though the universe had been pushing us together so far this year. Yet divine intervention disregarded, someone in there- most likely Snape- could use some help. I knocked timidly, yet used it more of a warning for the occupant of the classroom, stepping it immediately.   
Of course, there Snape stood, cuts and gashes on his hands, a fallen shelf in front of him, and broken potion bottles surrounding him. He looked up, bewildered with cold eyes, “Miss Dalton; what are you doing here?!” I shook my head, worry filling my eyes. “Here, Professor- let me help”. I sent a reassuring smile his way, giving the man no time to protest as I carefully navigated his way through the mess of potions and sat him down at his desk.   
I searched around the classroom for a pair of tweezers, finally settling upon some small surgical ones used for extracting unicorn’s hair. Tweezers in hand, I rushed over to him, setting myself on the desk and bringing a candle closer to us. I took a light grasp on one of his hands, astonished at how warm it was. His skin was rough, calloused at moments, yet the warmth emanating from them was incredibly contradictory. Slowly realizing how long I’d been staring at and inspecting them, I began to take action; removing glass shards bit by bit. He hissed at each extraction, yet I dared to shush him in a mocking tone. Even though the silence was oddly comfortable, I decided to break it; “How did this happen? Are your shelves not as sturdy as they once were?” The professor merely grumbled an affirmation, seemingly embarrassed that a student was tending to his wounds. “I’ll go to Madame Pomfrey, Miss Dalton. You need not continue-” I shook my head with a smile on my face. “You know, I am training with Madame Pomfrey. You may as well give me a little faith, Professor~” My tone was a tad flirtatious, something I had astoundingly left unchecked. He merely tsked in response. “What are you doing near the dungeons this late, Dalton?” I sent him a cheeky smile with my words that followed, “I’m a Prefect! I had to make sure no mousebrained Gryffindors were running amuck.” I could often look at younger years doing foolish things with disdain, yet most of this comment was to appeal to the man. Something told me he would appreciate the humor; and Snape did, offering a surprising dry chuckle. A ghost of a smirk remained on his face afterwards, only losing it as I pulled another shard out of the soft skin. “It’s a pity an intelligent girl such as you has been employed to watch over the younger witches and wizards of Hogwarts; they can be fools.” My face reddened with the compliment; not only did I think highly of Professor Snape, yet he was rare to compliment such as this. The two combined facts made me stumble over my next words, “I- I uh- suppose I was once one of those fools in my younger years, however. It’s easier to deal with them because I was like them myself, Professor.” He gave a small nod to this, as if considering the possibility. In a sudden bout of self consciousness, feeling the need to prove that our maturity was on the same level, to somehow normalize my feelings about him, I rushed out an afterthought; “Of course, I’m much more mature now.” He seemed to scoff at my words, yet I could not make out whether or not it was a chuckle instead. “Sure you are, Miss Dalton.” I winced at these falsely reassuring words, the simple sentence reducing me to a mouse in front of a lion. A lion with cold, dark eyes that seemed to undress me and black greasy hair that I desperately wished to run my fingers through- ahem. My attraction seemed to disregard every small blow, deliberate or not. Without trying, it was as though he could find a weakness in anyone and expose it. I wished to persist through this cold nature; nobody had seemed to do it before, but I was strong! So why couldn’t I? A harsh cough broke me from my thoughts, and I startled, realizing I had been sitting with his hand in my lap for a while now. It seemed as though he was through with the prolonged moment; and following suit, I was.   
I pulled my wand out of my robe’s pocket, one of alder wood with the base being a dragon heartstring. With a small gesture towards the professor’s hand, I cast a nonverbal healing spell. Something that seemed to impress him- making my heart go warm. Immediately, his wounds closed up, free of the glass as well- leaving only slightly darkened marks where the cuts once were. I stood, moving to the broken shelves and casting spells to right the wrongs of the situation. As I did my work, I decided to speak up. “How did this happen?” My eyes shifted to Snape’s form, seeing him shift a bit; in possible discomfort? Seemingly ashamed to explain a mistake to someone. A prideful man, that he was. It’d make sense. “You’re a smart witch, Miss Dalton. I’m sure you can figure it out.” I sighed, knowing that it was quite obvious; he was grabbing a potion from a rickety shelf, it finally toppled over and the liquids at his feet sent him crashing to the ground. He used his hands to brace his fall and ended up cutting them on the broken glass of the bottles. I smirked to myself, feeling like one of those crime scene investigators with my analysis. After the entire ‘crime scene’ had been dealt with, I set my wand in my pocket and gave a satisfied smile to the Potions master. He looked up after a while, seeming to have forgotten my presence. At least I’d been quiet enough for it…? Merlin’s beard, I was having trouble finding the silver lining to all of this man’s behavior. It was worth it, I supposed.   
After a while of standing in silence, I stopped expecting anything and walked to the door. “Goodnight, Professor.” The heavy door creaked open and I stepped through it. “Goodnight, Miss Dalton. Erm- thank you.” I grinned from ear to ear, making sure the man had seen it before closing the door behind me with a small “See you at breakfast!”.   
I found myself practically skipping through the halls with excitement, feeling absolutely giddy. A kiss from a cute witch or wizard couldn’t even make me feel this way, so why could a sign of gratitude from my professor? I knew I was a smart girl, yet I let a foolish fantasy get the better of my heart. Maybe this was just a clue-in that I needed a date?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FORESHADOWINGGGG at the end there :00000 maybe, maybe not??? im very excited for you all to see the next chapter :33333 be prepared for some jealous snape


	8. Quidditch, Jealousy, and Rejection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> olivia is asked out by a rather cute boy, and decides to go on the date!!! what will take place? how will a certain someone react?

Sunday afternoon approached, lunch in the Great Hall was being served, and Alexander Black, a fellow 6th year Gryffindor student, decided to sit himself beside me at the table. Fitting to his last name, Alex’s hair was black- as well as shaggy- a rather adorable mess. (A pest in the back of my mind, of course, told me that it was nothing compared to Snape’s.)  
Fran, Garrett, Gen, Lili and I- the usual- were sitting down to lunch together, getting ready to enjoy our meal, when the tall boy approached. Fran made space for him, seemingly expectant, as he turned to me. He sent a charming smile my way, a glint of daring in his brilliant bright blue eyes. “Hey, Olivia- I’ve heard you’re single, and was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me to the quidditch game tonight.” I was obviously shocked, yet plastered a smile on my face, glaring at Fran. She had obviously set this up- last night, I had talked to her about maybe looking for a date. And of course, with her large network of people, she found me a good ‘suitor’. I was not new to rejecting people- no matter how uncomfortable and sad it made me- yet I was hesitant. Often, I rejected dates because I wasn’t interested in a relationship. But it would be entirely unfair if I had expressed interest to Fran, she told someone, and I turned them down!!! Alex was perfectly kind as I had seen before, and there was therefore no reason to say no- although Gen would argue that love is ‘meant to be’ and not any setup. (But who said I was looking for love? Maybe a simple date to the game would be fun.) I, for once, broke myself from my thoughts of my own volition, and found another, more genuine smile. “I’d love to, Alex!” He grinned widely- the boy admittedly had a cute smile- and sorted out the logistics with me. After the little fiasco, we parted ways, Fran moving back into her seat and my friends immediately bursting about the happening. “Don’t say I never did anything for you, Liv-” “Are you kidding me? She could’ve gotten someone 100x hotter than Alex on her arm without any effort-” “I don’t know, Alex is pretty cute-” “So is Garrett, and she could have him if she wanted-” With mention of the wizard, I turned to my side, seeing a usually bubbly guy quite reserved. My mind wandered to the possibility that his solemn attitude was because of my conversation with Alex, yet I immediately squandered that- there was not a chance that Garrett liked me. If anything, he just didn’t want our friend group getting too large. Even if I had known the answer of his sadness, I still would’ve asked my following question- “Everything alright, Gare?” He looked up, positively forcing a smile and returning to playing with his food. I decided to bother him about this later, for my other friends were quite enjoying pestering me with questions. 

______________

The quidditch game came later that day. I had dressed up in my best house gear, wearing a Gryffindor scarf, following socks, facepaint of our house colors on my cheeks, and a thick eyeliner to tidy myself up for the date. I left my hair down, keeping a scrunchie on standby if it got too windy. Fran fretted over me, trying to prepare me for my date. I simply let her do her magic; there was no point in trying to stop the girl. She was a force to be reckoned with, and I knew I’d look fabulous after her work ceased. Looking starry-eyed and wondrous, I departed from the common room with my friends- minus Garrett. He’d left early to prepare with his team. I left them soon myself, meeting up with Alex at a gazebo close to the field.  
As I approached, he was already there, holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand. I immediately felt my heart skyrocket; it was such a sweet gesture! I knew quite well that flowers weren’t too practical, yet I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a sucker for romantic gestures such as this. 

“Hey, Liv!”  
“Hey, Alex.”  
“These are for you-”  
“This is wonderful, thank you! I absolutely love them- and I have a vase in the dorms to put them in!”  
“Oh, that’s a relief. I wouldn’t want them dying so soon.”  
“Yeah, me neither.”  
“So-”  
“So-”  
“Oh, heh- We should get going to the game. The stands will fill up soon.”  
“Good idea.” 

The conversation was a bit awkward, yet it was natural for any two who had rarely talked. I don’t know why I had been expecting a perfect connection, anyways.  
We found our way to the stadium and took our seats on Gryffindor’s side. Many Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were scattered among the seats as well, interested in the game; not just supporting a particular house. Well known rivalries could often be seen between Slytherin and Gryffindor, something that made these specific games interesting; seeing the pure hatred battle out in the form of a sport was quite astoundingly diplomatic, in some strange way.  
The game progressed, and so did my conversation with Alex. I learned he was a Seeker on the Gryffindor quidditch team, yet gave a trial to none other than Harry Potter for the first game of the year. He learned that I knew essentially nothing about the sport. And so, an hour of our date was spent with him explaining the events to me. Thankfully, I was able to set him off track by saying I was thirsty. We travelled down to the stands set up, and he wandered off to get me some water; something I was incredibly thankful for. I stayed put at the bottom of the bleachers, humming a tune to myself and people watching. After a bit of Alex not returning, I decided to wander myself, unfortunately bumping into a tall, lean man. He smelled of musky sandalwood and moonstone, with a hint of, sweetness? Almost as if he was constantly around honey. I lingered in the scent for longer than I’d like to admit, yet eventually looked up to find the owner of this pleasant blend of flavors. Of course- who else would it be but Snape? He looked down at me with confusion, yet upon seeing who I was, morphed his expression. “Miss Dalton. This is the second time this year you’ve failed to look where you’re going.” My face grew red, averting my eyes away from the man and rapidly apologizing. “I’m incredibly sorry, Professor- I was just looking for-” “Livvie! I couldn’t find any water!” I grew rigid at Alex’s voice, seemingly feeling guilt? My… crush on Severus was most definitely not reciprocated, yet my subconscious still dared to feel as if I’d betrayed him. I had, of course, betrayed my true feelings. Something I hadn’t been willing to admit until this unfortunate situation took place. “Oh, it’s alright, Alex. I’ll just go inside-” “Miss Dalton.” I looked up, seeing an unopened bottle of water in Snape’s hand. Butterflies simmered in my stomach- how was it that this man could do such a thing to me with a simple offering of water? My blue eyes softened and a grateful smile followed, “Oh no, that’s alright Professor, I don’t want to inconvenience yo-” “Take it.” He set it in my hand, our small contact sending electricity running through my veins. For a reason unknown, Alex settled his arm around my shoulder; it was awkward, sending me flinching away. Snape looked the wizard up and down with a fiery gaze. “Mr. Black. Shouldn’t you be out on the field today?” “I gave the opportunity to the Potter boy today.” The Potion master’s face twisted into a visible frown, now looking the both of us up and down. “Make sure a wizard doesn’t distract you from more important things, Miss Dalton. Especially one that fails to deliver on the promise of water. And Mr. Black; be careful, Potter may get comfortable in your position on the team.” He swiftly turned and walked off, leaving me awestruck and Alex visibly fuming. “What kind of prick-” I didn’t pay attention to the rest of his rant, shrugging off the boy’s arm in his flurry of rage and letting my heart skyrocket at Snape’s visible jealousy. I tried to push the encounter off, yet a small part of me would believe that the Potions master wanted his arm around me- not Alex’s. It was silly to entertain, yet nothing could stop me from doing so. 

_____________

Harry Potter had caught the Golden Snitch, resulting in a wondrous win for the Gryffindor house. Students were booming about it on the way back from the game while I was busy rejecting a kiss from Alex. He leant in, and it went as follows; “Oh- no thank you-” “What-?” “I wouldn’t like a-” “Did I do something wrong?” “No! The flowers were lovely, you’re lovely, I just-” “Gryffindor won, a celebratory kiss?” “I said no, Alex.” “Come on, you’re cute, I’m hot-” I don’t think another date would be wise. Nor would another attempt to kiss me.” I departed from the wildly uncomfortable situation, leaving the boy gobsmacked- he was most definitely not used to rejection.  
After meeting up with my friends, I was surrounded with a flurry of questions. “Did you two snog?” “Ew! Okay but did you?” “We saw you with flowers, did he give you those?” “Was he nice?” “Was it boring?” I cut them all off after a bit of fighting to answer- “Okay I’ll tell you what happened-” “Yes!” “Thank Merlin, Liv-”  
“Oh god it was awful.” My first blunt statement was met with laughter from Gen and Lili, pouting from Fran, and surprise as well as excitement from Garrett. “What happened?” “He gave me flowers which was super sweet! But then we had nothing in common, and he just blabbered on about quidditch. I tried to listen, I swear- but ten minutes and I could not handle it- and then he tried to get me water, and I thought, ‘oh maybe this is salvageable, that’s so sweet of him’, and THEN he raged on about something Professor Snape said to him involving Potter and expected me to be his therapist on a first date-what a fucking impression! And then he tried to kiss me, guilt tripped me after I said no, tried once more- and then of course I left.” My audience was giving mixed reviews, ones of disappointment and ones of laughter. “I really thought it was going to be okay at first- but- oh god, Fran, he’s nothing like me and so- so vanilla.” At this moment I’d collapsed onto my bed dramatically, sighing loud for all to hear. “This is why I don’t date. It’s just boys I don’t know who ask me out because my hair is shiny or something-” “You didn’t like Alex?” “I thought he was cute, and I felt bad saying no when I specifically told you I wanted a date! But he took no interest in what I liked, and attempted to pressure me! God, why do boys our age suck so much?” I groaned out my pent-up frustration- when finished, I was met with a room of silence. And then Fran spoke; “Well then why don’t you meet an older guy?” Gen piped up- “Fun fact! In the muggle world, the legal age is generally 18. Yet in the wizarding world, it’s 16.” Fran looked up to me with a smirk. “It may not be normal for your world, Liv, but it’s plenty normal here.” I shook off the thought with a laugh, yet it lingered longer than I wished to admit. Maybe a relationship with the certain someone I’d been thinking of was less out of reach than first expected?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SJFJDJVJD THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN TO WRITE- i tried to quietly integrate the red flags on the date and show that, while not telling her friends everything about her life, olivia still trusts them all with the raw truth of a dumb boy's actions. would you guys like some consequences to her rejection of alex? would you like to see him begin targeting her, or would you rather this pass without incident? i don't want any conflict scaring you guys away from this story, so please tell me what you think!!! id be more than happy to do either. :)))) thank you so much for sticking with me so far. it means a lot that people enjoy this story ive cultivated.


	9. Detention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> olivia attends a detention per snape's orders and their alone time is not uneventful :0000

I was a grade A people pleaser- something I’d been painfully aware of my entire life. Little miss Olivia Dalton never got detention, never upset a teacher, never missed an assignment- of course my often procrastination as a first year made that last statement untrue. It was not as if I’d never talked back, never shown a bit of the feist I’d mostly caged. It was simply that I played these cards at the right time; I’d calculated when a snarky remark would be taken well, and when it was better I stay silent. Yet I had miscalculated greatly on one Monday afternoon. 

____________

The last class of the day; Potions. I was itching to run for the library after the ring of the bell, aching to rush through those thirty minutes before dinner and get some food in my stomach. I was exhausted, pissy, and had a shitload of studying to do for an upcoming test in Potions. Yet for now, I’d be stuck in the horrid class itself. Okay, don’t get me wrong; usually, I love Potions! The class is wondrously interesting, and I’m good in the subject. Yet today, I would not be having it. Gen speculated I was PMSing. I did indeed go off of birth control for the week, so it was possible she was correct. Yet attributing my rising ‘testiness’ to a simple fact of the body made me feel invalidated, and so I refused to rationalize. And instead sat, fuming for no particular reason, at the back of the class as Snape lectured us. Garrett would often turn to me, whispers of reassurance that class would be over soon. It was sweet, and did indeed help calm me down. But after a few exchanges of words, Snape turned his attention to the two of us. “Miss Dalton, Mr. Easton. Is something interesting, or would you like to return your attention back to this important subject? 5 points from Gryffindor.” In a dumb fit of rage, undoubtedly induced by the factors of my day and body, I sneered back. “You jealous of Garrett too, Professor?” He went rigid at my reference to Alex the week before, yet caught his mental balance after a few moments. He furrowed his black brows, mouth pointing down into a frown. I immediately regretted having brought on his fury, once again being reduced to a mouse. “10 more points from Gryffindor, and detention for you, Miss Dalton. After dinner. Dungeons. I expected more. What a disappointment.”   
It was as if he knew what words would make me collapse, as if he’d psychoanalyzed each student and found their weaknesses. My breath caught in my throat, cheeks going red, and blue eyes turning glassy with threatened tears. As Snape resumed his teachings, the other students stopped looking at me- thank Merlin. Yet my friend’s eyes were still on me, filled with confusion and concern. Any questions their minds had conjured up were asked once class was dismissed. I was immediately surrounded by a flurry of inquiries dispensing from my friend’s mouths, feeling my anger grow deeper than before. The noisiness and incoherent mumble of their words sent me storming out; something I didn’t ever expect to be doing to them. I caught Snape’s gaze as I departed, narrowing my brows and averting my eyes. My feet took me back to the common room, setting me down in a plush leather chair in front of the fire. I groaned quietly, rubbing my eyes- disregarding any makeup on at the time.   
Around ten minutes later, having enough time to collect my thoughts and feel remorse for all of the happenings, I sought out my friends. They were gathered in the library, our planned studying area for the test after class. Of course, I’d failed to leave with them. The reminder of my dismissive and rude behavior made me grimace as I approached the group. After a bit of standing there, not knowing what to say, Gen looked up. “Olivia! What’s going on with you?” “You stormed out on us-” “To be fair, we were bombarding her with questions-” “Shut it, Lili.” “You misogynistic brute, thinking you can get away with telling a woman when to hold her tongue so nonchalantly-” “Love, calm down. You know that’s not what he meant.” “I’m tired of..” Their conversation continued as I took a seat and breathed deeply, thankful that the subject of my actions had been alleviated for a bit. Yet, after a few minutes of banter, focus returned to me. I took another deep breath. “I am so incredibly sorry for bursting out like that. My head was muddled, and I was acting out. I’m now realizing the dreaded PMS is a likely option.” Gen set a hand on my forearm, kind eyes boring into mine. “Hey, don’t discredit all of your actions with a common women’s issue. You’re being too hard on yourself, and then dismissing your rightful frustration. Classes are difficult, aren’t they?” As if Genevieve had spoken directly to my soul, I broke down into her shoulder, makeup once again being ruined beyond repair. Between sniffles, I spoke. “I don’t think I’ll pass this blasted test, and it’s in two days. I’ve been avoiding paying attention in class to do more Alchemy work. I don’t know half of what we covered this week and-” Fran gently pulled me into her chest, hand grazing across my arm. “Hey- it’s okay. We’ll help you study, alright?” I recovered from my little outburst, looking up to them all and shaking my head. I sat up, “Merlin’s beard, I love you all so much. But I let myself get behind, and you all have your own priorities. I know you’d help me at the drop of a hat, just as I would for you all, but I can’t ask you to take the amount of time I’d need out of your days. I’ll ask Snape for help.” Fran looked at me with unease and reluctance, Gen was calculating the amount she could assist versus Snape’s expertise, Lili was considering her schedule, and Garrett was pretending to think. I giggled at his expression, and he immediately feigned a hurt one. “Why’re you laughing at my beautiful face?” “You look dumb.” The entire group burst out into laughter. What I’d said hadn’t been particularly funny- the bluntness was most likely the best part of the statement alone. Yet they laughed out of relief, and happiness. They seemed excited to see me smiling again, even though my frowns had only lasted for about an hour of the day. This made me well up with happiness myself, being once again reminded of how lucky I was to have them. Our laughter, however, was cut short as the bell for dinner rang and a librarian harshly scolded us for the noise. We exited the library, resuming light banter and conversation. Things seemed lighthearted, something I was thankful to be surrounded by on the impending detention.

_________

“You never told us Liv! What was Snape ‘jealous’ about with Garrett?” I shook my head at the question, lending a small smile to the group. I knew I had to make something up. The lying felt quite dirty, yet I knew that my delusional schoolgirl crush explanation would make no sense to them. “Garrett’s one of the tallest guys I know-” “6”3 and counting-” “yes- and Snape is, what, 6”1? I bet it makes him quite jealous to know that some guy is taller than him but has a smaller brain.” My logic seemed inconsequential to the excuse, and it simply sent my friends laughing about the supposed ‘height insecurity’ Snape now seemed to have. “My brain is plenty large!” I giggled. “Sure it is, Gare-Bear~” He grew rigid at this new nickname, cheeks turning pink. Fran wasted no time in exposing this embarrassment, poking fun at his wide eyes. I checked my watch, knowing I only had a bit of time left before dinner ended and I was to report to the dungeons. And so I excused myself, venturing up to the common room to wash my face. On the way there, Professor McGonagall intercepted my journey. I immediately straightened up, flashing a smile and hoping she didn’t stare too intently at my messed up makeup.   
“Miss Dalton.” “Hello, Professor McGonagall!” “It’s come to my attention that there was an outburst in Potions… leading in detention for you.” My face grew warm and red with embarrassment, averting my eyes and fiddling with my wand. “Yes, Professor.” A few moments of silence passed, giving me the cue to once again speak up. “The incident was a taint on my reputation at Hogwarts, and could potentially affect the way those who look up to me see me. It could encourage bad behavior, and I’m incredibly sorry for my poor decision making. I plan on apologizing to Professor Snape when I see him.” The atmosphere seemed to shift, what once was a rigid environment morphed into one of warmth and care. I looked up as I felt a change, meeting Minerva’s eyes vulnerably. “This will not affect your position as Prefect, nor will it affect my view of you. You’re a competent student and a dutiful Prefect. You make Hogwarts proud. This was a bump in the road. I ask you not let something like it happen again, and wish you luck in detention. Severus is not the easiest when it comes to discipline, yet the way he speaks of you clues me in on the fact that detention won’t be too difficult.” My jaw slightly dropped in surprise, shocked by those last words. ‘The way he speaks of you’... did he think highly of me? How often was I on his mind? Did he usually bring me up in conversation with the other staff members? These questions would plague my brain for a long while, yet I was able to snap out of that world of fantasy they’d created just for a bit; only to mutter a grateful ‘thank you’ to Professor McGonagall. She had always been kind to me, always trusting and encouraging. I often looked to her in times of doubt, and felt safe confiding in the woman about certain things. Yet I had never seen her kindness so clearly until now. And it made my shitty day a wonderful one. We’d see how much it stayed wonderful, however. Detention was nearing.

________

After wiping off makeup and cleaning my face, I spent a few minutes speculating my scar. It began at the middle of my right cheek, and trailed down to a tad under my jawline. It had a pink coloring, yet would pulse in times of stress or near dark magic; DADA could often be a nightmare with this factor. The scar did not factor into my life aside from these odd events, something I was incredibly thankful for. The visual could be covered up, and I could live my life without remembering Jack or what the wretched Dark Lord had done to him. This pondering brought my mind to ever so dark places, and I accordingly decided to ditch the subject that lingered. I grabbed a scarf; not simply because the dungeons were frigid, yet also to cover a reasonable half of the marking trailing my jaw. I waved goodbye to my friends, and departed for the dungeons. 

________

I found myself standing at the door to the classroom for quite a while, not knowing whether or not to knock. Eventually I decided to do so, the door creaking open a few moments later. My eyes trailed up to Snape’s slightly hunched form; he seemed to be grading papers. I spoke up meekly in a soft, fragile voice. A tone that seemed to startle him, which made quite a lot of sense considering the rough one I’d used earlier that day. “Nonverbal magic, hm? And without a wand, as well. Hogwarts focuses on wand based magic. A shame, really.” My words were mostly my rambling thoughts being projected for anyone to hear at the moment, something I often used when nervous. I coughed at his lack of response, and tried again, “Professor. I’m incredibly sorry for my acting out today. It was unprofessional and rude of me. I expect no easy punishment, for my behavior was inexcusable.” He seemed to perk up at my apology, seeming slightly,,, surprised. I assumed not many had apologized to the man in his life. Sincerely, at least. “Alright.” I lavished in his low voice, the simple word sending shocks through my spine. Pleasurable ones, of course. A few moments of silence and me hopelessly crushing were broken by his sultry voice once again. “You’re to scrub the desks thoroughly, then organize my cupboard of textbooks. Any stray papers will be put into this binder and organized by potion- alphabetically so, draughts separate.” I caught a sigh from escaping my throat; I deserved this detention, and didn’t want to do anything that would make it worse. Of course, the ‘talking back’ itself didn’t necessarily merit a detention from most teachers. It was mostly the meaning behind what I said; the implication of jealousy. This implication had obviously peeved him off, something I was a tad bit proud of.   
With an exhale, I grabbed a bucket, soap, and a sponge that sat by the small sink in the corner of the classroom. I filled the bucket with a tad bit of water and soap, and got set to scrubbing. Halfway through the first of about 30 fucking desks, my robes’ sleeves were drenched in soapy water. I pulled it off, leaving me in my grey skirt, white button up, Gryffindor tie, and grey vest; the usual for a female uniform. It was quite taboo to disrobe at Hogwarts when not in the common rooms; the wizarding world could still be seen as quite old-fashioned, especially when considering girl’s uniforms at schools. Yet I assumed Snape would be fine with it- I was doing physical labor, after all. A sly thought flew through my mind, making me roll up the waist of my skirt until it was considerably shorter. I considered the probability of this flustering Snape, guessing there was about one chance in a million that that would happen. He was a professional man, after all. Why did I wish to see him break this front so badly?  
I rolled up my sleeves and slightly bent over the desk once again, scrubbing at it and getting lost in the mindless work. Yet eyes on my back- correction- my ass, broke me of the trance I was in. My cheeks warmed up- there was no way this was actually working. I considered my options and decided to turn my head, watching Snape’s onyx eyes flicker from my backside to my face. He cleared his throat as the tension built. I restrained a giggle from escaping me. I was absolutely fucking giddy. “Am I doing something wrong, Professor?” My voice was low and my blue eyes sparkled with mischief. He shook his head and looked down. “Just fine, Miss Dalton.” I furrowed my brows and turned back to the desks. Why couldn’t he just call me ‘Olivia’? What was so hazardous about a first name? I sighed and powered through the work.   
After all of the desks were practically shining, I took a moment to grin in satisfaction. Yet it was now time to organize the dreaded cupboard across from the classroom’s door. It was larger than the door itself, pushed up against the wall, dark and foreboding. I really only found it intimidating because of the order I’d have to restore to it- I’m sure there were no ghouls or goblins inside.   
I began at the bottom of the shelf, taking out books and papers and dusting them off. It was easy enough until the cupboard reached the ceiling; too high for my 5”4 self to deal with. The easiest solution seemed to be using a chair. I pulled one over to the cupboard, stepping up onto it and beginning to pull books down. I felt eyes on my back once again. “Miss Dalton, that’s not safe-” “I’ll be fine, I have good balance- oh!” As I spoke a variation of some famous last words, I found myself falling off of the chair; a few books were teetering on the edge, and crashed down onto me, making me lose my balance and most likely bruising my chest. Yet just as I thought this would be a trip to the infirmary, Snape was right behind me, my body falling into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me protectively, as if instinct for him to guard me. It felt completely natural- after recovering from the shock, I let books cascade around me, simply melting into his arms. He was warm, and smelt exactly like earlier; sandalwood, honey, and moonstone. I felt safe, happy, and reassured in his large, slightly muscular arms. Safer than I’d felt in years. Life seemed,,, steady. The weight of Jack’s death was lifted, and I felt free. All of these wonderful sensations were stripped from me as Snape realized the situation, helping me down from the chair and piles of books and distancing himself from me. I wanted to cry out, beg him to hold me again, but I knew he would think it weird. At the very least, inappropriate on principle. Snape refused to meet my eyes, simply sitting back down at his seat. I stood in shock, wondering how I’d missed those amazing feelings for years of my life. No rushed makeout session with anyone, no hug from a friend, no reassuring words from my parents, nothing could compare to the ecstasy in which that contact with Snape brought. I recovered after a bit, realizing I couldn’t stand there for an eternity. Trying to do something with myself, I began picking up the books. Snape’s low voice stopped me; “You’ve served your detention. I’ll deal with that later.” I looked up to the man, hesitantly meeting his gaze. “Oh it’s alright, I’ll just pick them up for-” “Out of my classroom. You’re finished.” “But-” “OUT!” I cowered at his rumbling voice, scared to unpack the layers of anger that resided in that single word. His eyes seemed to soften at my reaction, but just for a moment. He returned to his normal, scowling self, yet not caring to look me in the eyes. I felt my heart break a bit at this, needing some time to recoup. Per his request, I grabbed my robe and exited the classroom, whispering a soft apology. The door shut behind me, seemingly due to his nonverbal magic abilities. I slumped, shuffling back to my common room for the night. It was only 8:30 pm, which meant many older students were still in the library or common rooms. Yet I headed to bed, mindlessly walking past friends and acquaintances. Some offered concerned looks or inquiries of my mental state, yet most knew a response from me would hurt to say. And so I fell into bed, staring at the roaring fire until I drifted off into a light and uneasy sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WRITING THIS WAS SO FREAKING FUN OH MY GOSH- i know its super long but i hope you enjoy that :)))) i was so excited to write about this and hope youre all as excited as i am that liv and snape have now done some weird embrace and realized how much they like each other- and yes if you couldn't tell, snape only got so angry because the feelings he had with lily returned with olivia's touch. he loved holding her, and was scared he couldnt control himself if she stayed, and didnt want to disgust her with his feelings. hes a closed up baby boy but liv plans to open him up. hopefully they can deal with their separate trauma together and grow closer over it!!!!


	10. Body Language

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hiiii!!! this chapter is a bit shorter, and its just a lil build up before snape helps liv study ;) please as always tell me what you think in the comments- what you wanna see more of, an idea for a chapter, anything!!! your guys' input means the WORLD to me; every time i get a comment my heart skyrockets. its amazing to me that people enjoy my writing, and i really hope you can continue to do so!!!

The next day was entirely unwelcome on my part. As the sun shone in through the satin red curtains, lacy gold accents catching light and casting it onto the room, I groaned softly and pulled the covers over my head. They were soft and smooth against my bare legs, the feeling making me curl up into myself and further attempt to disappear from the world. Yet Genevieve would not allow this, tapping my shoulder through the layers of blankets and softly whispering my name. “Liv, it’s 7:30. You have to get up.” I mumbled a small protest and lightly swatted away her hand. “I don’t need breakfast.” My voice was raspy yet soft, and I had not the energy to clear it. After a few moments of silence, most likely including Gen’s pondering over my statement, she sighed in defeat and walked away from my bed. I stopped myself from tuning into the background noise, wishing not to hear the hustle and bustle of other students. My heart ached like a dumb schoolgirl’s. I felt completely foolish, and absolutely shitty. Loud noises had always bothered me, yet hearing the man I’d grown to lov- like- yelling? At me? The effect magnified 1000 times over. I knew an incident such as this could not stop my feelings, yet it did halt my actions. The boldness that had consumed me earlier would be no more. For, when we touched, when I laid in his arms as the world around us stilled, something in him changed. Any kindness the man had lent me before was gone, replaced with bitter words and a cold disposition. I felt entirely lost, having clung onto his silent affection for almost a month. It kept me stable, content. Optimistic for the beginning of the year. Of course, his cold behavior last night was really quite normal. I should know, at that point it’d been 5 years of his grumpy behavior. I suppose it was unfair of me to expect anything special from him. He was a teacher, simply doing his job. And I was interrupting his work with my silly crush. Something I’d really have to get over. The sleep I had so desperately clung onto just five minutes ago had disappeared, leaving me with intrusive thoughts of a man I should not think about and a growling stomach. Of course I refused to stand up, my laziness getting the better of me. Even if I were to do so, getting dressed was not on my to-do list. I pondered over the possibility of claiming sickness, but knew Madame Pomfrey would treat my hypothetical disease; or simply expect me to do so. My training with the witch had been going very well; each spell was easy to memorize, simply focusing on Latin root words to remind myself of what every casting would do. I had executed them perfectly, in practicing, and was finally able to treat some patients on my own! This of course led to many awkward scenarios in which a boy none other than Alexander Black would visit the infirmary. He seemed to get injured in quidditch practice quite a lot; I’m not sure how well Seeker was working for him with the constant cuts and bruises. Of course, these were small things often not deemed deserving of a visit to the medical wing. (And yet I saw him every Saturday with a small gash on his cheek and pouting puppy eyes.)   
I’d gotten lost in my mind for what seemed like two seconds, yet it was more like an hour- around 8:3o, my friends crowded my bed and supplied my stomach with warm pastries and waffles. I ate happily, as did they, my mood finally lifting a bit. That morning was not even in full motion yet, and it already had been suffocating.   
As we ate, concerns regarding my detention were made- as were ones about my current mood. “You’re quite a morning person, Liv. What’s up today? You went to bed so early.” I struggled to come up with an answer, ashamed to admit how much yelling affected me. Gen waited patiently for my response, continuing her meal as Garrett butted in with an unhelpful reminder. “Is it cause we’ve got that test tomorrow in Potions?” My eyes widened a bit with realization as I halted the chewing on my waffle. I groaned and dropped my head, transitioning into a full-fledged pout as I straightened my back. “I’d forgotten about that.” Fran shushed me and stuffed a piece of fruit into my mouth, mockingly scolding Garrett. I fell back onto my pillow and sighed. “Snape yelled at me last night- I was fucking trying to help!” This small bit of detail led into my narration of the entire story (of course leaving out the ‘I fell into his arms and time stopped and I could swear it was what love felt like’ part out), ending with my exasperation followed by a small silence. Garrett then spoke up, “What an arse.” I giggled a bit, feeling a weight being lifted off of me as I’d told the story. The others agreed with Garrett’s statement unanimously, and the conversation suddenly felt lighter- something I was incredibly grateful for.   
A bit of motivation to get dressed finally sparked inside of me as I began rushing around to clothe myself. Garrett had (of course) left- even though I cared not. And so, soon enough, I was fully dressed and ready. Today was unfortunately the day to ask Snape for help, however. Something I was not exactly elated to do. It did occur to me that asking my friends for help was still an option, yet the test was the next day, and my fear of being a burden on them overcame my fear of failing. At least with Snape, he wouldn’t feel inclined to say yes if he didn’t want to. And if he did indeed say no, I’d just have a long night of studying- and agony.   
The day had gone by smoothly so far, yet a dreaded time had come; I had to ask Snape for his assistance in studying. As the bell rang, my friends and I departed from lunch and made our way to Potions. I had two free periods after the class; an attempt to clear my schedule and study hard for the bloody test. We arrived before most, and instead of loitering in the crowded halls, decided the classroom would be more quiet; even though censoring ourselves in front of the Professor was a downside. As we took our seats, I looked nervously to my friends. “Do I ask him now, you reckon?” “Do you think he’s in a good mood?” “I mean he just got back from lunch, so,,, probably?” I pondered over the soft input and nodded after a bit of reflection. “I’ll do it now.” Fran nodded, sending a smile my way as I walked to the front of the classroom. Upon approaching, the teacher took no effort to look up, simply sighed and spoke. “Class has not started yet, Dalton. What could you possibly need me for?” I winced at the harsh tone of his voice, attempting to shake it off and not forget what I intended on saying. “Uh- I-” “Are you going to speak, or continue to fumble over your words?” I furrowed my brows at the rough words, wondering what brought upon such a vast change in behavior- he was considerably kind to me yesterday, was he not? Did that ‘embrace’ really alter our entire relationship? By now, the students that had stumbled in there early were listening intently as I stumbled over my request, not even knowing if I wanted to ask this man for help. Yet I eventually spit it out; “I uh- I’m taking a good amount of classes, and have fallen a bit behind on the material for the Potions test.” He finally met my gaze, the look accompanied with a scoff that, for the third time, reduced me to a mere mouse in his presence. “And?” Realizing I hadn’t quite gotten to the point, my face turned red and I spoke up again. “I have two free periods after this and some time after school; could you help me catch up?” He rolled his dark eyes and leant back in his seat, letting his slender fingers toy with a quill. God, even when being a grumpy arsehole he managed to be hot as hell. “Miss Dalton, what makes you think I would take time out of my day to help you when you’ve gotten yourself into this mess?” I pondered over his words in a panicked state, this question never occurring to me. My brain fumbled for an answer, and I began spewing out a reason. “Educators often enforce learning outside of their own classrooms. The burden became a bit tough for me, and I assumed you’d want to uh- encourage my striving for information, Professor.” He once again let out a scoff, shaking his head a bit and returning to his work. I stood there in silence for a moment, unsure on whether or not to return to my seat. After a few seconds, he spoke up once again; “You’re to report here thirty minutes after dinner. Bring what you normally would for class.” I nodded, muttering a submissive thanks as I turned to the rest of the classroom. “Miss Dalton?” “Yes Professor?” “You won’t let this happen again.” It was an assertive statement, a demand, no question at all. And so I nodded and returned to my desk, heartbeat finally calming down from that horribly anxiety inducing interaction. I collapsed into Garret upon my return, letting out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Fran winced towards my direction. “Geez, I thought he liked you.” Lili butted in, “He does like her. His pupils dilate when he looks at her, his shoulders relax, he refuses to look her in the eyes and when he does his eyebrows unfurrow-” “You’re so hot when you talk all analytical-” “You’re always hot-” Gen and Lili once again lost themselves in their own little world, leaving me to overthink everything she had said. For once, an observation about his behavior seemed to be more than wishful thinking. Could it be possible that there was indeed a reciprocated attraction? When I was unraveling the complexities of his dark black eyes, was he doing the same to my blue ones? When I admired his tall, lean form, did his eyes gravitate towards my bust? Throughout the rest of the period, my brain was muddled with questions, ones that I could only try to answer with one on one time; something that was thankfully coming soon. Only two free periods and dinner before I could take more pleasure in observing him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh shid maybe the attraction isnt all in olivia's head :00000 i dont think ill ever do a snape pov though, so i suppose we'll just have to rely on our dear snape's actions and liv's detective skillz hehe


	11. 1981

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snape tutors Olivia, and finds something out about her past.

Dinner had passed, along with the regular school day. Many students had retreated to their common rooms, planning on studying the night away, rowdier ones getting drunk out of their minds outside the Forbidden Forest. It was essentially a normal night. Of course, not for me. (Quite obvious considering my early conversation with that handsome fucker of a Potions professor.) I cleaned myself up after dinner in the dorms, wiping my face free of the makeup and bundling up in a scarf. We were meeting in the coldest part of the castle, after all.  
With a wave goodbye to my friends, I navigated the school until reaching the dungeons. Upon reaching the classroom door, I took a deep breath. I wasn’t quite sure how long this man was going to be keeping me, yet I was very grateful for the help. I’d never been privately taught by Snape, and was quite anxious to see how his methods held up in a one on one class. I twiddled with the wand that sat in my pocket and knocked with my other available hand on the dark door. It did not open, and so I creaked it a bit for myself; the room was unlocked yet empty, leaving me to wonder where the man was. I did not have to ponder long, however, hearing a door open next to the classroom. I inspected it, seeing Snape sitting at a large mahogany desk. He was leant back in a green armchair, holding a cup of tea to his lips. There was a fire roaring on the other side of the quaint room. It was the size of any normal office, yet half the size of his usual classroom. (Which honestly wasn’t too shabby considering how big his classroom was) I cleared my throat. “Professor?” He looked up to me and nodded in affirmation, gesturing to a smaller velvet green chair that sat in front of his desk. I closed the door behind me an moved to sit down, setting my bag down at my feet. “The dungeons are getting quite frigid as autumn sets in. I decided my office would be a preferable place to study.” I looked around, studying the thousands of books that lined the stone walls. They were all classics, vastly different from the textbooks that resided in his classroom walls. These were the books he enjoyed, not the ones required for his job. Many of them were muggle books, as well. Something that surprised me greatly. My eyes stopped at “Love in the Time of Cholera”, faintly remembering the story’s plot. In its simplest form, the book was about a man who had hidden his love for a woman for 50 years. They were reunited at the death of her husband, and were able to live out the rest of their lives together.  
I was only brought back to reality upon feeling dark eyes on me, seemingly analyzing my expression. After a bit, I spoke up. “Love in the Time of Cholera. A translated version has not yet come out. Have you read it?” He looked to where my eyes were trained, turning back and nodding. “There’s a spell that affects the caster’s eyes. Languages become trivial.” I thought for a moment, nodding and smiling. “I suppose that would’ve been what my father used as well to read it to me before bedtime.” “As a child? It’s quite a mature novel.” I shook my head, smile receding. “Some things made me grow up a bit quicker than expected. I always wanted to poke my nose into my father’s business. He adored my curiosity.” Snape nodded, pondering over our small discussion. I desperately wished not for the conversation to die- fuck studying- and spoke up again. “Have you read The Sufferings of Young Werther?” He looked back up to me, meeting my eyes with a nod. “It’s quite a cautionary tale, suicide led to by love.” I frowned, shaking my head. “I despised it. The novel bastardiz- sorry- demonized love. It’s no cautionary tale. It’s a story from a man who was done wrong by, and did not know how to find love after that.” Snape looked quite amused with my opinionated statement, leaning back into his chair. “Why’d you bring it up if you hate it so, Miss Dalton?” I thought for a moment, really not knowing the answer to the question. I fumbled for words, yet they failed me. And so the man stood, walking over to the fireplace and sitting beside it. He settled himself down in one of the two very large red armchairs, staring into the fire and seemingly waiting for me to join him. I grabbed my bag and shuffled over to the chair across, sliding into the cushions and holding the bag to my chest. He turned to me, fire setting his dark eyes ablaze. “I’m afraid those novels you’re so well-versed in are not a subject on the test. Putter over my question while we cover the material.” His tone was commanding with a layer of mock to it, turning me into a flustered nest. How had I forgotten the reason I was there?  
We were around an hour into the material when the fire became too hot against my side. I quietly removed my robe and scarf so as to not disturb his teaching, setting it over the arm of the chair and lavishing in the relief that lack of layers brought. At some point, Snape looked up to me, eyes being caught on my jawline. I froze up- he was no doubt looking at my scar. It was prominent in the light, of course, how could I blame him? My nature considered it an impossibility to not explain. I simply couldn’t leave him wondering about such a visible mark. And so, after a bit of silence, I spoke. “An uhm- an accident when I was 6.” The man nodded, yet froze himself as he seemed to realize something. “Miss Dalton- was that the year of 1981?” I thought for a moment. “Mhm. Why?” His eyes widened a bit, yet he immediately hid any emotion and I almost groaned out of frustration. What was he not telling me? I spoke up after too long of him being silent. “Why?” He snapped out of it. “Just realizing how old I am.” I furrowed my brows at the obviously fabricated response, yet knew not to test the man. Anything that could possibly sour our closeness wasn’t worth inquiring upon.  
The rest of the night passed smoothly, studying morphing into book discussions and theories. It was soon midnight, and we were still lost in a conversation revolving around the difference between muggle and wizard alchemy. Yet as the fire died out, so did my energy. Snape had gone to grab a textbook from his classroom, and I was cozied up in the large chair by the fire. I eventually dozed off into a light sleep, a smile set on my flushed face. 

~~~OMNIPOTENT POV~~~

Severus had returned to his office, closing the door shut behind him and nearing the chairs. He was going to plop the book down on the table in between the two chairs, yet found that a particular Gryffindor witch was fast asleep on one of them. His eyes widened a tad, and a redness on his face set in. What was he to do? It was not as though any student had ever been comfortable enough to fall asleep in his sole presence. Where had he fucked up in pushing this girl away? In treating her like every other student? Why was she so persistent on cracking his usually feared exterior? The man let out a heavy sigh and decided to purposefully drop the book on the desk, a loud ‘bang’ echoing throughout the room. With this, she jumped up, looking around frantically. Their eyes met. She immediately relaxed whereas Snape shook his head and sat down at his desk. Olivia felt quite awkward in their seating arrangement, and therefore stood up. This was when the man decided to speak. “If you’re tired, I’d suggest you return to your dorms. We’ve covered all you need for the test tomorrow.” She stood there for a second, seemingly disappointed upon being dismissed. Yet she obeyed, grabbing her coat, scarf, and organizing the items in her bag. “Goodnight, Professor.” He simply nodded as Olivia departed.  
After a few seconds of her being gone, the Potions professor stood and began filing through old newspapers he used for firestarter. When he could find nothing, the man ran to the door next to his desk. It was a heavy one just like the rest in the dungeon, and held the home of Snape behind it. He opened it and ran up to his bedroom. Where the man’s home desk sat, there laid old headlines. He rifled through some, finally settling upon a story from 1981. The title was, “WIZARD BOY AND MUGGLE AUNT KILLED IN DARK LORD ATTACK; 6 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER ONLY SURVIVOR”. The story was centered around Reginald Dalton’s children- Reginald was a prominent, pureblood, upstanding Syltherin wizard. He was Head Boy as well as a Prefect. Snape himself was in his 1st year when Reginald was in his 7th. The professor had always looked up to Reggie, a beloved, popular, kind, handsome wizard who performed wonders in quidditch. He was the star of Hogwarts for all of his seven years, and the object of every girl’s affection. Of course, he married a man. So that love was never really possible.  
The Dalton’s were connected to the Dark Lord, everyone in the family being a Death Eater. Yet, to Snape’s knowledge, Reginald had broken this chain. The man assumed he wanted something different for his kids, something other than a life of servitude to an evil man. This made sense to Snape. A painful amount of sense.  
Voldemort decided to exact his revenge upon the man for the betrayal, and had ultimately set out to kill both of his children and his muggle husband; to leave him alone with no foreseeable family. Reginald was a very powerful wizard, someone that the Dark Lord wanted on his side, and knew he could not kill in his weakened state at that point. And so, Jack Dalton and Carole Johson were murdered. A murder attempt at Olivia was made, yet she had been taught protection spells at a young age. Voldemort did not have enough time to kill her after this, for Reginald had reportedly burst through the door, ready to kill.  
With this old information being seen in a new light, Snape dropped the paper, steadying himself with the desk, eyes wide. He had, of course, thought Olivia’s last name was familiar, yet hadn’t thought to connect to this until this very moment. A swarm of questions plagued the man’s brain, and he could not find an answer for a single one. As the clock struck 1, he instinctively yawned and shook his head. The man stared distastefully as his Dark Mark, and knew attempting sleep would be futile. And so he settled in for a long night of grading papers. Hopefully to distract him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH SHID IS THAT SOME TRAUMA WITH THE DARK LORD I SMELL??? YOU FREAKING BET IT IS!!!! this is like- probably the most in depth with the attack ill get? i tried to naturally integrate it into the story, but made elaborate later if you have any questions. just a little note uh i hate dates- figuring out how old someone would be in 1981 is fucking hell on earth lemme tell you hehe- anyways i hope you enjoyed this chapter!!! i wanted to change up the pov to explain olivia's story more, but i dont think ill be using it again. i really just wanted it to give some clarity. i do like first person the best though :))))


	12. Drunk in Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW : slight sexual harassment, drunk teens
> 
> IM SORRY FOR BEING GONE FOR SO LONG- im gonna try my hardest to get updates in regularly, and to apologize for this late ass update, i made it super extra long and with lots of juicy snape interaction~

The days leading up to Halloween were passing quickly. I had aced the Potions test, gotten ahead in most classes, and began preparing for the fiasco that was Halloween Eve. Wednesday October 30th was a rollercoaster for upperclassmen. The usual drinking parties that took place were elevated seriously on this night. It was a bit of an inconvenience that the day fell on a school night, yet it would stop no rambunctious teen. And yes, I’m a tad ashamed to admit, I was one of these rambunctious teens.   
Drinking was something I did not do often. The parties at Hogwarts might’ve been numerous, yet I had no interest in encountering the skeevy boys lingering around the perimeter waiting to pick up and take advantage of drunk girls. Sexual assault cases were handled well at Hogwarts, yet boys were still not taught to be better. Of course, anyone of any sex could assault. It just wasn’t common for girls to do so at the school.  
Despite my regular reservations to parties with horny teens and alcohol, Halloween Eve’s was not one to miss. Students would dress up, always going the extra mile- something surprising for teenagers. Gorgeous lights and festive decor always draped over the trees of the Forbidden Forest, creating a wonderful scenery that I quite liked to be a part of. And so, after class on Wednesday, Francesca rushed our friend group up to the common rooms. Gen and Lili had their own costumes, but I’d failed to prepare; something Fran had accounted for. She sat me down on the bed, eyes ablaze with mischief as my stomach knotted. “Fran I’m scared.” Gen took a peek at the costume the French girl was laying out, and turned back to me with a face that can only be described as ‘yikes’. “You should be, Liv.” Fran swatted at the girl’s shoulder and tsked. “Nonsense, you’ll look wonderful!” I winced and attempted to prepare myself for the incredibly revealing costume I was about to be shown.   
Fran made me avert my eyes as she placed the components of the costume in my hand. I trailed my fingers along the polyester, yet suddenly came across something soft, and fluffy. I looked down, finding the fluff to be feathers and the entire ensemble white. I was to be an angel. Merlin save me.   
I pouted, looking up at Fran with big blue eyes. “I really appreciate you getting me a costume, but can I dress up as a muggle instead? I have a pair of jeans in my drawer, and I could borrow a shirt from Garrett or some-” “Shush. Go put it on. I promise you it’ll look wonderful.” Turning to Gen and Lili for help proved futile, and so I hobbled over to the bathrooms in defeat.  
The main part of the costume was a short white dress- its top was feathered and deep cut with considerable padding on the inside (something I did not need nor want and was quick to pull out). The bottom of the dress was simply more feathering, only extending to my mid thigh. I hesitantly pulled the tacky dress up, zipping the back and twisting it around. I gazed at myself in the mirror with disdain; this was not me. At all. I peaked out from the stall and looked around, seeing my friends doing their makeup and readying up for the night out. Yet I felt far from ready, exposing the finished look to them all with a considerable wince. Gen turned around first, and her face went red. “Oh my.” Fran and Lili were compelled to look behind them with these words, sending Fran into a frenzy of praise. “You look so gorgeous! You’re so hot, Liv- We’ll brush your hair out and then- oh my goodness I cannot believe my best friend is so beau-” “It’s not me. I’m fine with the wings and halo, but-” Lili rushed out of the bathroom with my words- for a moment, I was worried I’d offended her with my appearance. But as she returned with a small white dress, I knew she just wanted to help. “I know I’m a tad small, but I think the uh- the dress would hug your body well. I never wear it so it’s new basically. You can try it on if you want to.” Her voice was meek, something unlike I’d ever heard from that girl before. I giggled and took it from her. “Lilian Thornes, I don’t think you’ve ever been that quiet in the years I’ve known you.” She grew red and shook her head. “I don’t know what to do when it comes to clothes, and I didn’t want to offend you with my comment-” “Lili, you’re incredibly small and short. It wasn’t insulting at all. It’s just a fact that this may be tighter on me.” With these words of reassurance, the girl returned to fixing up her costume as I tried on the dress. This one was more simplistic, and definitely less tacky. It was a creamy white dress with spaghetti straps, extending to my mid thigh. It hugged my curves yet didn’t make me feel exposed. Honestly, I felt gorgeous in it. The fabric was rather unforgiving, being a simple polyester, yet it still somehow worked. I exited the stall beaming brightly, giving a twirl for my friends. They seemed more enthusiastic with this; if not because it was better, then because I obviously felt more confident.   
The costume issue had finally been solved, and so it was time for Fran to fuss over my makeup and hair. She plopped me down on her bed and got to work right away without hesitations, holding lipsticks up to my face and squinting back and forth, almost blinding me with a lash curler, and brushing my hair out to an extensive amount. After about an hour, Fran stepped back and grinned. Her eyes lit up as a squeal slipped past her lips. “You look magnifique, Livvie.” I blushed, her thick French accent and sultry voice seeming to strip away any reservations I had about the night so far. I was led over to the bathrooms and shoved in front of a mirror by Lili’s small yet forceful hands. She gave me a thumbs up; and when I looked in the mirror, I understood the positive reactions. My bangs were fluffy and my hair looked smooth as silk, as my locks were the clouds themselves. My eyebrows were brushed out and my cheeks were colored, my nose having the same dust of pink on it. My lips looked plump and glossy, and my eyes were soft with brown wispy eyeliner and long lashes. I felt absolutely gorgeous; I hate to partake in any personal flattery, but I felt as though I were a divine creature; a true angel. A grin spread across my face and I encompassed Fran in a tight hug. “Thank you so much, Fran. I feel beautiful. Thank you for all the work you put into me.” We exchanged a few more appreciative words, as well as including Lili due to the attire provided by her. She sent a smile my way and we began our final preparations for the party. By then, the sun was beginning to set. The party would begin after dinner; something we all decided on skipping. I rummaged around under my bed, and was able to find a pair of strappy white heels. Why I had them escaped my mind. They were cheap, but not too tall and incredibly suitable for the party. I smiled in satisfaction, peering at myself in the mirror. My aunt would claim I looked like an absolute slag, but she wasn’t here to slutshame me; so why should anyone fill up that spot? Fran assisted in finishing off the look with a white purse. I assured her I wouldn’t need it, but she insisted- of course, my wand would conveniently fit in the bag- so maybe it was good that I had it. Gen and Lili, dressed as stereotypical witches- to do some sort of commentary of the misconceptions of the wizarding world that Lilian was very passionate about- went ahead of Fran and I. I stayed with Fran as she finished up her costume, the greek goddess Aphrodite. She looked astonishingly beautiful, wearing silky white robes that cascaded down her body to the floor. It was cinched tightly with an intricate gold chain/belt at the waist, matching a sort of golden halo around her head. She looked absolutely lovely, the tips of her ears and nose incredibly pink as if love flowed from them. When she was finished fiddling with her costume, we met up with Genevieve, Lilian, and Garrett in the common room. To my unending surprise, Garrett was undoubtedly a devil- his face was pale, red eyeshadow adorning his lids and his lips looked raw; as though they had been very busy. Little red devil horns poked through his fluffy mess of hair, and his lanky body was covered by a sleek black suit. We looked like a perfect pair; something that made me stare at Fran with disdain. “Is he-” “Your devil!!!” “Do you like it, Liv?” “Er… yeah! You look good, Gare.” I sent a sparing smile his way, something he returned with an uncharacteristically shy manner. It seemed that he only acted that way when we were together. I brushed off the thought and observed Gen pull out her wand, whispering “Orchideous” in delicate words. A bouquet of red roses materialized at the end of the wand as the pink light emanating from it withered away. She pulled one out and stuck it to his chest. She smiled in satisfaction, handing Garrett the rest of the bouquet and stepping back to sit in front of the fire with Lili. Fran wiggled her eyebrows and walked off to find a few friends, leaving Garrett and I uncomfortably staring at each other in the middle of the common room. He made his way over in two quick strides, holding out the bouquet. “Here, Liv. You- you look very pretty.” I smiled and let out a nervous giggle, taking the bouquet. “Thank you, Gare. You look wonderfully ravishing yourself.” I was increasingly uncomfortable with the interaction, and slowly slipped away to find Fran.   
After the series of awkward events, dinner in the Great Hall was over. We travelled down to the Forbidden Forest quietly, mixing among the students on their way to common rooms or to the very same party. We arrived, finding this year’s party nicer than the last. Orange fairy lights were strung about the winding trees, tables adorned with foods and drinks encompassing the area. There were streamers of all different Halloween-associated colors, and soft music playing in the background. People had already accumulated around the area, talking jovially and enjoying themselves. We mixed into the crowd as drinks were offered. To cope with Garrett’s looming presence, I accepted every beverage handed to me with enthusiasm. By 9:30, I was undoubtedly wasted and feeling it hit hard. I had passed around my roses, giving them to people who seemed like they were having a rough night. Garrett seemed to ease up after a couple of drinks, dancing goofily with Fran in the middle of a large crowd. Gen and Lili were making small conservation with others outside of the main crowd, enjoying themselves and abstaining from alcohol while doing so. They would be the ones getting me safely back to my bed tonight, no doubt. Although my plans for a Halloween party full of booze and no issues were squandered as Alexander Black approached me. I grimaced when feeling the tap on my shoulder. “Hey Livvie-cakes~” his voice was incredibly slurred- I didn’t think anyone here was as drunk as I was, but I suppose my observational skills went out the window as the alcohol came in. “Charming as ever, Alex.” I tried my hardest to mask my drunken state, yet my swaying no doubt gave me away. He bumped into me a bit, my back hitting the cold stone walls of the castle. “You look so fuckable right now, my little angel~” I immediately sobered up a bit with his words, my eyes widening as I pushed away from him. “Get away from me, asshole!” The noise of the party was surmounting our conversation; I searched the sea of people helplessly, looking for a friend, but Alex and I were swept up in the current as he began to grind on me. I was, of course mortified, stumbling back into a rather lanky man that happened to be Garrett. He turned to see Alex pushing into me, obviously picking up on my horrified face. The wizard shoved into Alex. “Why don’t you go pick on someone else, twat?” Alex’s flirty attitude immediately shifted to one of anger as he shoved back. “Oh I bet you’d like her all for yourself, huh!” “What the bloody hell are you talking about?” “Just because you don’t have the balls to make a move on that bitch doesn’t mean you can stop me from getting something!” “Did you just call her a-” Fran jumped into the fiasco as I watched from the sidelines, too shocked to move. “You don’t dare call my best friend a fucking bitch, you wanker!” The fighting continued yet the party did not seem to break up. Still incredibly intoxicated, I stumbled my way around the campus until I found the closest entrance to the castle. I tried to ignore my compulsive need to cry. I knew the release would be healthy, I just couldn’t have someone see their Prefect like this. It’d be disgraceful- I had to return to my common room, if only I knew where I was.   
After what seemed like hours but was only minutes of stumbling through the castle halls, I crumpled to the floor- the strength I had left was being used to stop tears from forming. I shivered, realizing I had lost my shoes on the trek to enter the castle. 

“Merlin’s beard, I’m pathetic.”

My voice echoed in the hall. It no longer had its sing-song quality; my voice was breaking, crackling, and collapsing. After giving myself a few more seconds to recuperate, I dragged myself up to a standing position and continued to stumble through the halls. I had only been in the castle for a few minutes, yet it seemed luck was not on my side that day. I heard footsteps approaching me… about to turn the corner... I grimaced, prepared to see Dumbledore or McGonagall. Yet the face I was met with was not something I’d expected. 

______________________________

Snape gasped, running over to me; the only noise in the hall being the echoing footsteps and swishing of his cloak. “Merlin’s beard, are you alright?” I struggled to stay up; the entire world felt dizzy, and the earlier events were undoubtedly traumatizing. As my broken blue eyes met his dark ones, full of shock, I let out a sigh of relief and let myself go.   
Sobs wracked through my body; I sunk back to the ground, curling up into myself and sniffling pathetically. After a few more moments of painful cold, I was scooped up by the black cloak and carried through the halls. My sadness was interrupted by the shock of how easily he picked me up- I am not the skinniest of people- how much muscle was that cloak really hiding?   
Throughout the journey, Snape whispered reassuring things into my hair; it eventually soothed me, as my sobs quieted.   
He found his way through the castle, bringing me into his office. He whispered a spell, a fire setting ablaze in the fireplace. I was set down on one of the velvet chairs, melting into it and covering my face up. I didn’t want to exist- it was mortifying to be perceived.   
Snape returned to my side, throwing a soft black blanket over me and setting what I assumed to be a cup of tea on the table beside the chair. After a bit of uncomfortable silence, he coughed and spoke up. 

“You seem to be… inebriated, Miss Dalton. Drink the tea and then we’ll discuss your situation.”  
“Thank you.”  
“Oh- you’re welcome.”

I finally poked my head out of the comforting black cave, grabbing the cup of tea off of the table and taking a sip. I immediately felt myself begin to sober up, and continued to drink in hopes that the effect would continue. The beverage was mostly effective, thankfully to the point where I could articulate myself.   
Severus returned, grabbing my cup of tea and disappearing once again to place it somewhere. When he came back, I was sitting up on the chair with the blanket wrapped around my shoulders- incredibly unaware of my cleavage. Maybe this costume was not such a good idea after all…  
Snape’s eyes flickered down to my bust, coughing a bit and taking a seat. “You… you were crying, correct?” When I spoke, my voice was small and meek. “Y-yes.” He nodded thoughtfully. “Erm,,, I do not exactly excel in counseling, yet I am the only educator awake at one in the morning.” My eyes widened at this revelation. “It’s one?!” “Yes.” I grimaced at the confirmation, and we sat in silence for a bit longer. After some time, the wizard interrupted the crackling fire and spoke up. “I am not unaware of the parties that take place on school grounds, Miss Dalton. You need not lie to me about that. I can say that I am disappointed you are one of the students that participate in this. It’s not responsible-” “I know. I’m sorry.” My tone was sharp, something that surprised the both of us. “Do not let your short temper dig yourself a deeper hole.” His voice was that of warning, the timber still satisfying every part of me. “I will not punish you for participating in the party simply because I stumbled upon you; although I do not expect it to affect any of your performance tomorrow.” I nodded, looking down to my bare feet. “Ahem, and I suggest you... cover yourself up. That outfit is not exactly fit for Hogwarts.” My face turned red as I looked down to my chest, instantly covering my body with the warm blanket and giving a sheepish smile. He rolled his eyes and began to stand, yet halted for a moment in his movement. “Miss Dalton; did anyone cause you to cry?” I swallowed a bit, debating on whether or not I should tell him. I supposed nothing could be done if I wasn’t honest, and so I let everything off of my chest. “Alex Black attempted to kiss me after our first date, I said no. He constantly… invades my space now. The party was no exception. He thought my state of mind would assist him in doing what he… what he wanted with my body.” A fire flashed through Snape’s eyes and his nostrils flared; he turned away quickly and walked to his desk. “I see.” Those two words were spoken through gritted teeth. He busied himself with pointless tasks at his desk as my heart warmed a bit with his reaction. He really did care.   
After a moment of pondering upon my situation, I got up with the blanket still around my body. Snape looked up and nodded. “I think it’s best you return to your common room.” I sent a nod back, turning to leave. Yet I hesitated at the door; he made me feel safe, and I needed more of that right now. “Professor, do you think you could walk me to my common room?” Snape looked up with his usual hard eyes, yet they softened upon meeting mine. He gave a curt nod. “I suppose. It is quite dark in the halls.” I almost let out a giggle at him justifying his agreement to escort me. Why did he want to convince everyone so much that he was such a hard-skulled character? Why did he care what others saw in him? And why had nobody else taken the time to get to know him; to realize that he barely masked his kindness when met with affection or patience? My thoughts were broken as Snape opened the door for me. I nodded and uttered a sweet ‘thanks’, beginning to walk through the halls. We walked in silence, yet it wasn’t uncomfortable for once. It felt natural; perfect.   
We reached the Gryffindor common rooms. I whispered the password to the woman in the painting, and turned to look at Snape. “Thank you, Professor.” He nodded, refusing to make eye contact with me in the candlelight. I moved to take the blanket off, yet he stopped me. “Keep it on. You still have a journey to your dorm room.” I rolled my eyes, not thinking the dress was too skimpy. Yet a thought entered my head; he wanted to protect me from boys like Alex. I had already dealt with more than enough perviness necessary for a lifetime, and he wanted to save me from anymore. And, perhaps, he liked the idea of me having something of his own? I knew this was all most likely wishful thinking, yet clung onto anyways. I nodded. “Thank you. Really.” His lips ever so slightly upturned, yet disappeared seconds later. “Goodnight, Miss Dalton.” I gave him a great big smile, turning to step into the common room. Yet as I entered, Snape called after me. “Olivia!” My jaw almost dropped from the use of my first name, yet I welcomed it with open arms. “Yes?” He gave my response a moment to linger in the air, before finally responding. “You are not pathetic.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYO POGGERS- he heard her calling herself pathetic and told her she wasnt before she went to bed i- AHHHH T3T why do i make myself cry- dejfjdvjfjfj someone asked that livvie get like drunk n shit and go to snape and i LOVED the idea soooo yuth


End file.
